New Game Plus
by RMVthewriter
Summary: Jaune always considered himself a normal guy, if a little weak. Which was unfortunate since no one bothered to tell him that Beacon was full of off-kilter superheroes that were liable to kill him at any moment. Combine that with the fact that he no longer needed to eat or sleep, Jaune only had one question. What the hell went wrong last time around? (Expanded Summary Inside)
1. A New Beginning

**Expanded Summary:**

 **Jaune always considered himself a normal guy, if a little weak. Which was unfortunate since no one bothered to tell him that Beacon was full of off-kilter superheroes that were liable to kill him at any moment. Combine that with the fact that by the time he got to Beacon, he no longer needed to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom, Jaune had many questions. However, one stood out above the rest. What the hell went wrong last time around?**

 **(Gamer!Jaune, Under-powered!Jaune, No Harem, Pairing to be decided)**

* * *

He blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes. Then he blinked again. He looked around to see if anyone else was seeing what he saw, and he blinked a third time.

Jaune Arc was a smart boy. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but he told himself so every morning regardless. His blond hair was messy, mostly due to the fact that the only two things he did in a mirror were to brush his teeth and give himself pep talks. He had a scrawny build to him, tall, but lacking the muscle to back it up. That wasn't to say that he wasn't handsome though. Yet another thing he told himself in the mornings.

To get back on track, the reason he felt the need to point out his own intelligence was because he knew this was not normal. He had been sitting in the airship, clutching his own stomach and trying not to vomit, when it suddenly happened. He was no longer nauseous, but he might have gone insane instead.

Floating in front of him, and wherever else he tried to look, directly in arms reach was a… Menu. Yes, a menu, as in one of those things you deal with in an RPG game. To be more specific, there were actually two menus. They read,

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Motion Sickness**

 **[OK]**

And,

 **Welcome back to:  
** **The Game**

 **[OK]**

Jaune felt the urge to reach out and touch the menus that had appeared out of nowhere, but thought against it. He wouldn't want to seem weird in front of all the other people in the airship, though seeming weird was the least of his problems at the moment. Instead, he just remained where he was sitting, trying to stare through the menus and pretend they weren't there. A hard task, considering they were in front of him wherever he faced.

One minute passed.

Then two.

Then three.

Then-

He couldn't take it anymore. Trying to look around the menus to see if anyone was looking at him, he hesitantly touched the 'OK' on both of the screens. They winked out of existence one after the other with a satisfying pop.

Jaune slumped back down into his chair and sighed in relief.

"I'm glad that's over and done with." His break was cut short, however, when he heard yet another satisfying pop. His eyes were closed, and he prayed to every god he could think of that when his eyes opened, no menu would be in front of him. Clearly, the gods did not like him.

 **The Tutorial has been turned off for New Game Plus, but would you like to have a run down of the differences between New Game Plus and your first play-through?**

 **[YES] [NO]**

After staring at the screen for a while, Jaune resigned himself to his fate, hitting 'YES' on the menu. Once again, the floating text box disappeared with that popping noise, and after a few seconds a new one appeared.

 **New challenges include:  
** **1\. All potential enemies are twice as strong  
** **2\. All bonds are twice as hard to fulfill  
** **3\. All stat and level gains are twice as hard to achieve  
** **4\. You start at LV: 1 (Previous Stats have been converted to SP per one hundred points)  
** **5\. Enemies drop 20% less loot**

 **Kept from last play-through:  
** **1\. Weapon: Scythe of Destiny  
** **2\. LV: Max MP Skill Book: Absorb  
** **3\. LV: Max AP Skill Book: Jump  
** **4\. Bond: UNKNOWN  
** **5\. Title: The True Reaper**

 **Additional features:  
** **1\. MP unlocked with AP unlock  
** **2\. Recording of thoughts or silent cut-scene from previous play-through shown every time something of note is achieved  
** **3\. Inventory removed  
** **4\. Player and Skill LV up items removed  
** **5\. All other Skill Books, aside from the ones gifted, removed**

 **[OK]**

So yeah. Apparently this was a thing happening to him. He tapped 'OK' once more and vaguely wondered if he had a main menu, as most games did. On command, yet other floating box appeared before him, this time with five options.

 **[STATUS]  
** **[SKILLS]  
** _ **[INVENTORY]  
**_ **[EXIT MENU]  
** **[QUIT GAME]**

Obviously, Jaune avoided the 'QUIT GAME' option. The 'INVENTORY' option was grayed out, and unable to be accessed, so Jaune touched 'status' first.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 0  
** **Title: [EQUIP]**

 **HP: 100/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

 **STR: 5  
** **DEX: 5  
** **INT: 5  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 5  
** **CHA: 5  
** **LCK: 10  
** **Current Modifiers: [NONE]  
** **SP: 34**

 **[Go to Second Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

Jaune didn't look any further than that, as the first page already held enough to process. First thing, the 'Title.' Hitting the option pulled up a new screen, this one much smaller than the previous.

 **Available Titles:**

 **[The New Kid: Title rewarded for coming to Beacon for the first time this game. Grants +2 Charisma and +3 Luck as you stumble around like an idiot.** _ **Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded**_

 **[Newbie Deceptionist: Title rewarded for conning your way into Beacon. Grants +10% success rate on all deceptions for being so good at lying.** _ **Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded**_

 **[The True Reaper] Title rewarded for [UNKNOWN]. Grants +50% MP, +50% MP damage, +100% on intimidations, and -50 Bond with all surrounding humans while equipped.**

Jaune was unsure what '-50 Bond' translated in the real world, but he knew he didn't want to find out. Out of curiosity, however, he did select the 'UNKNOWN' option.

 **The criteria for this title cannot be revealed until criteria is met or Observe Skill LV: MAX.**

 **[OK]**

Deciding to leave that mystery alone for now, Jaune backed out and selected 'The New Kid' title. Then he backed out of that screen to go back to the first page of his stats. They had changed according to his new title.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 0/200  
** **Title: [The New Kid]**

 **HP: 100/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

 **STR: 5  
** **DEX: 5  
** **INT: 5  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 5  
** **CHA: 7 (5+2)  
** **LCK: 13 (10+3)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title  
** **SP: 34**

 **[Go to Second Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

Looking more closely at his new stats, Jaune finally realized something. The 'changes' screen had said that he'd get one SP point per one hundred stat points, which meant that he used to have at least 3400 stat points divided into each category! Divided equally, he would have had a little under 500 points in each! If a normal person like him had 5 points to begin with, he must have been a god!

"Then why did I start over…?" Jaune mumbled to himself. He also wondered why he wasn't getting overwhelmed by this information or freaked out by what was happening to him. Perhaps it was that 'Gamer's Mind' thing?

"Who are you talking to?" Jaune jumped from his seat with a totally not woman-like scream and everything he was looking at closed automatically.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Panic**

 **[OK]**

Jaune ignored this to instead look at who spooked him. A beautiful, blond haired girl stood leaning over the chair he had previously been sitting in, clad in yellow combat attire. He could only guess how long she had been watching him as he fiddled around on the menus.

"Umm… No one…" Jaune answered truthfully. The blond straightened herself out, showing off her large- Channeling all of his willpower, Jaune forced his eyes to look only at the girl's face, where a laid back grin was waiting for him. He ignored Gamer's Mind nullifying lust.

"So you talk to yourself?" The accusation caused the newly minted gamer to sputter before once again, Gamer's Mind came to the rescue. He'd have to find it what that was later, because it was certainly coming in handy now.

"No." He refuted. She raised an eyebrow. He conceded. "Well, not all the time." She chuckled and pulled out a metal flask from between her- No!

"Don't worry about it. Ruby says I talk to myself when I get wasted enough." She clarified her statement before he could even ask a question. "Ruby's my sister. I'm Yang Xiao-Long."

"The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, ladies love it." He elicited yet another chuckle, and she took a swig of her flask.

"Do they now?" An amused glint was in Yang's eyes.

"That has yet to be determined. But if we're going by past experience… Then no." At this small laugh, a screen popped up.

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

He eyed it quickly before turning his attention back to Yang.

"You know, you're pretty funny." She complimented. He smiled.

"Thank you."

"For a guy that talks to himself and makes gestures for no reason, of course." His smile died quickly. That must have been how he looked, clicking on the various stats and such. He'd have to make sure to do that in private the next time he looked. Trying to take her attention away from that, he looked for something else to talk about.

"Are you allowed to have that?" He gestured to the flask. "I thought the drinking age was twenty one." The girl gained an amused smirk with a certain edge to it.

"What are you, a cop? You judging me?"

"No no no." Jaune tried to clear the air as soon as possible. Something about this 'Yang' person put him on edge. As if she was one stupid reason away from killing him at all times.

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

That wasn't good.

"I'm not judging you or anything, I'm just wondering where you got it, if you couldn't buy it." Yang nodded, accepting this answer.

"I pickpocketed it off of my uncle when we said goodbye to each other. So sorry, there's not some secret 'selling to underage kids' liquor store, if you were hoping." He laughed at this.

"Damn. You really got my hopes up." He joked. She held it out to him.

"You want some? I say you stumbling around earlier, you didn't look to good." He was about to refuse, since he no longer had motion sickness, but stopped himself. One, Yang didn't seem like the type of person you could just say 'no' to. And two, it wouldn't make sense that he suddenly lost his motion sickness, especially when it was a bad as his used to be. For his safety, it'd probably be best if he accepted.

"Yeah, sure. Fuck it." He got the flask from her hands and took a swig. Immediately, he fell into a coughing fit, before Gamer's Mind stopped the burn in his throat. "Holy crap. What is this stuff?" She grinned wickedly.

"Homemade. Way stronger than that stuff you'd find on the store shelves. Have you drank before?" He held the flask out to her and she tucked it back in between her- Stop it!

"A little. My dad shared a few bears with me, but that's about it."

"Huh. Well, you took it like a champ. Most people don't recover as quickly as you did." He grinned.

"Maybe I just have a knack for it."

"Maybe." She agreed. "We'll have to test that theory some time."

"Sounds good to me."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"Alright, well, if I don't go check up on my sister, my dad will kill me. Can't leave her on her own the entire time. See you around."

"Nice meeting you." She went to go find her sister, but before she left him completely, she turned one more time.

"Oh, and Jaune?"

"Yes?" She grinned like a madwoman.

"Don't think I didn't catch you sneaking a peek." She strutted away with a little more sway to her step and he collapsed back into his seat, mentally exhausted by the exchange.

 **Secret Quest Complete:  
** **Survive encounter with Yang Xiao-Long  
**

 **Optional Quest Complete:  
** **Form Bond with Yang Xiao-Long**

 **Failure Avoided: Death**

 **Reward: +50 Lien, +40 EXP  
** **Optional Reward: +10 EXP, +1 CHA**

 **[OK]**

Jaune shook his head in disbelief. Why was the failure death?! That seemed a bit excessive to him. Making extra sure that no one was looking at him this time, he closed the screen and collected the rewards. Instantly, he felt slightly more experienced and confident. Along with that, his pocket gained a slight bulge as it filled with a bundle of fifty lien. The game really wasn't kidding when it said there was no inventory. He even had to carry around his own money!

Ignoring that annoyance, he got up to go find a bathroom. Not because he had to go or anything, but because he needed somewhere private to continue to investigate these menus without people seeing him.

The bathroom was… Well, it was normal. No real need to describe it beyond saying it was a average public restroom. Jaune hoped into one of the empty stall and brought the main menu to life. Going past that to 'status,' he considered his stats for the third time within an hour, completely sure that he'd be looking even more than that by the end of the day.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 50/200  
** **Title: [The New Kid]**

 **HP: 100/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

 **STR: 5  
** **DEX: 5  
** **INT: 5  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 5  
** **CHA: 8 (6+2)  
** **LCK: 13 (10+3)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title  
** **SP: 34**

 **[Go to Second Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

He could spend some SP, but he decided to wait, instead moving on to the second page.

 **Equipment:  
** **Right Hand Weapon: [Crocea Mors]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Arc Shield]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **Lien: 60  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **Bonds:  
** **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 2/200- Thinks you're (slightly) interesting  
** **[UNKNOWN] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[Go to First Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

The additive for his second bond creeped him out a bit. 'Completely obsessed?' How come it wasn't 'Madly in Love' or something like that? 'Completely obsessed' just sounded wrong, like the relationship was one sided. Well, he supposed it was, considering he didn't know this person and therefore didn't love them back. He hit the 'UNKNOWN,' but already knew what it would say.

 **The name of this bondholder cannot be revealed until bondholder is met or Observe LV: MAX**

 **[OK]**

Yet another oddity amongst his stats. Clicking on Yang's name just gave a brief description of her and what he knew about her, so he moved back up to his equipment. He had no accessories or any other armour, making weapons the only thing he could change out.

 **Available Weapons:**

 **[Crocea Mors: One handed, Longsword. The Arc family sword handed down from generation to generation.  
**

 **Basic Requirement: STR: 5  
** **Basic Effects: Inflicts 5+STR physical damage with 50% chance to inflict bleed.  
** **Full Potential Requirement: STR: 70, Longsword Proficiency LV: 15  
** **Full Potential Effects: Inflicts 25+STR physical damage and 15+INT light damage with 90% chance to inflict bleed.**

 **[Arc Shield: One handed, Light Shield. The Arc family shield that can double as a sheath for Crocea Mors.**

 **Basic Requirement: END: 5  
** **Basic Effects: Absorbs enemy attack by 20+END damage with 10% chance to absorb all damage.  
** **Full Potential Requirement: END: 70, Light Shield Proficiency LV: 15  
** **Full Potential Effects: Absorbs enemy attack by 50+END damage with 50% chance to absorb all damage. 10% chance that 5+INT damage is inflicted on enemy that hits.**

 **[Scythe of Destiny: Two handed, Scythe. History [UNKNOWN].**

 **Basic Requirement: STR: 15  
** **Basic Effects: Inflicts 20+STR physical damage and 5+INT dark damage with 50% chance to inflict bleed.  
** **Full Potential Requirement: STR: 75, INT: 75, Scythe Proficiency LV: 50, [UNKNOWN]  
** **Full Potential Effects: Inflicts 100+STR physical damage and 50+INT dark damage with 90% chance to inflict bleed and [UNKNOWN]  
** **[UNKNOWN] Mode Requirement: [UNKNOWN]  
** **[UNKNOWN] Mode Effects: [UNKNOWN]**

Not even bothering to look over the unknowns, Jaune considered his weaponry. The Scythe of Destiny seemed like an amazing weapon, being over five times better than Crocea Mors at base level and only being ten strength points away from use. With the amount of SP, he could use the weapon right now! But should he use ten SP right away? Considering the new game plus menu stated that all enemies were now twice as tough, having fifteen strength at level one didn't seem like a waste to Jaune. But what if he ended up needing something else bumped up?

Eh, fuck it, Jaune finally decided, going back to the first status page and dumping ten points into strength. He then went back to the weapons page, intent on equipping the scythe, but before he could, a message popped up.

 **The [Scythe of Destiny] is currently in the** _ **[INVENTORY]**_ **. Once it is removed, it cannot be placed back in. Would you like to take the [Scythe of Destiny] from the** _ **[INVENTORY]**_

 **[YES] [NO]**

He tapped 'yes' and instantly flattened himself to the bathroom wall. With a pop, the scythe came into existence. This wouldn't have been so bad if he was in an open space, but in an enclosed area like a bathroom stall, the large scythe took up a decent portion of space, with the tip of the blade only few inches from his neck. Had he not moved, he would probably be dead, or at least bleeding profusely.

Ignoring the pop up for the Gamer's Mind nullifying terror, Jaune studied the weapon, mainly to see if it had a collapsible mode. The scythe was, as you'd guess, large. It stood taller than he was, the shaft a polished and sleek black, with a single button in the middle of it being the only blemish. He couldn't get a good look at the blade part, as it curved under his chin, so he reached out and pressed the button, hoping that it didn't end up killing him.

The gods may not have liked him, but they certainly wanted him alive, as the blade contracted back into the shaft and the top and bottom parts collapsed into the middle, leaving an about arms length pole to clatter to the ground. He picked up the pole to put it on his belt for later, when he found that his sword and shield hadn't vanished as he thought they would. Still no inventory. Right. Feeling extremely awkward while doing it, Jaune was able to get the pole through a belt loop and secure it there.

He went to go back into the menus and look at his skills, but a ship-wide announcement interrupted him.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The message ended and Jaune could safely assume that they would be arriving shortly.

Double checking that his weapons were secure, he walked out of the bathroom to enjoy the view. This was the first time he'd been in an airship and not gotten motion sickness, and you could be damn sure he was gonna make the most of it.

* * *

The first thing Jaune thought when he saw Beacon was, 'Wow. This place looks amazing.' The second thing was, 'These pop ups are gonna get annoying fast.' Indeed, he had gained another message from the game, and this time, it was completely unhelpful.

 **You have arrived at Beacon. In your previous game, your first thought was:  
** ' **Wow. This place looks amazing.'**

 **[OK]**

So not everything about this new power he had benefited him, that was fine. He had been going through the first seventeen years of his life without it, so it could only really help him. Of course, the first seventeen years of his life weren't on hard mode, or he didn't think so, but that was fine. He had to get used to this power regardless, as he had a sneaking suspicious that hitting 'QUIT GAME' would end up with him dead instead of without the power.

Anyway, his attention was caught by the sound of an explosion coming from ahead of him. While missing the initial blast, he did catch a bit of the argument that took place afterwards between a small girl and someone with white hair.

"Do you even know what dust is?" The white haired girl sneered. Coming closer, Jaune could make out her pristine white clothing and the Schnee Dust Company label on her luggage. She seemed thin, almost breakable, though the rapier at her said screamed otherwise.

"Of course I know what dust is. You don't make weapons without knowing about dust." The shorter girl defended herself. If the white haired one didn't look like a fighter, then the black haired one certainly didn't. Not to mention, she didn't even seem to have a weapon.

"Well it didn't seem like it when you almost blew us off of Beacon!" Her face was flawless aside from a single scar across her left eye, even when she yelled, there were no imperfections. Jaune wondered how someone so bitchy could possibly be so attractive.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

Yeah, he needed that. The shorter girl wasn't too bad herself. Though she seemed more 'cute' than 'attractive.' He also noticed that the shorter girl's hair turned slightly red at the tips, an interesting effect for sure.

"It wasn't my fault that you started waving the dust around after I tripped into it! I was just trying to be your friend!" The white haired girl scoffed at the shorter one's response.

"Like I'd want to be friends with the 'Hi, I build weapons' person. Just leave me alone." At that, the girl dressed in white grabbed her stuff and stored off. The 'Hi, I build weapons' person in question sunk to the ground in despair.

"Why is this so hard? Why can't someone just approach me for once?" Jaune laughed to himself. It seemed as though he was being called upon. He walked up to her and held out a hand.

"Need some help there?"

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

Well that was easy. She took his hand and he pulled her up.

"Hi! I'm Ruby Rose! I build weapons!" He was caught off guard by her intensity, and she frowned before he could respond. "Sorry. Was that too much? My sister always said that I'm no good at talking to strangers. If you don't want to be friends with me, I understand…" His eyes widened.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I'm not that good at making friends either. I'm Jaune Arc."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

Wow. This girl really needed a friend. Not that he was complaining, he was perfectly happy to oblige.

"Nice to meet you, Jaune. I'm Ruby. Wait. I already said that. Sorry!" He laughed a little. Seeing someone even more social inept than he was certainly improved his confidence. All and all, he was happy to find her.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"Don't worry about messing up. Like I said, I'm bad at this too. Look, how about this? Nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Jaune. There. Now we're even." He hurried to clarify his laugh.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

Easy to gain, easy to lose, it seemed. He wondered whether this was a product of the game, or if she was always like this. Maybe the more their bond increased, the harder it'd be to bring it down. That was just a theory, though.

"Does your sister happen to be named Yang Xiao-Long?" Ruby's eyes widened.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I met her on the airship and she mentioned something about her sister and mentioned the name 'Ruby.' She also said that she was going to be watching you, but I don't see her anywhere…" He looked around for any blonds hiding in the brushes while Ruby laughed.

"Watching me? Yang can't watch anything aside from a good fight for more than two seconds unless she's had five drinks down her." There was something to her voice that he couldn't make out.

"Huh." Jaune decided to change the subject, feeling as if he'd stumbled upon something personal. "So you said you built weapons?" Her eyes lit up once again and she pulled a red case from behind her back. Jaune blinked, not quite sure how she had managed to hide the large metal case back there, much less hold it and walk properly. Maybe she was stronger than she looked.

She pushed a button on the case and it transformed into a giant scythe, slightly smaller but bulkier than his own. Scratch what he said before. She was definitely stronger than she looked.

"This is Crescent Rose Version 4.7, the latest model I've designed."

"Woah." He stated simply. If it wasn't for Gamer's Mind, he would have probably fainted from the ferocity of the weapon's design. "It's very… Mechanical." Springs and wires popped out from the upper shaft, and sharp metal seemed to stick out a random along the side of the blade.

"Yeah, it's always sleeked up in the '.0' models. I'm still having trouble with the split mechanic, though."

"Split mechanic?" Jaune asked, wondering if the beast of a weapon could get any more intimidating.

"Yup. This baby right here can become a sniper rifle, longsword, or split into two short swords." Apparently it could. Jaune couldn't even imagine being able to build something like that, especially trying to fit it into that big carrying case that suddenly felt way too small for what it was containing. "But enough about my stuff. What about you? I always love seeing new weapons." She turned Crescent Rose back into a case and made it vanish behind her back. Jaune looked to his belt and first took off Crocea Mors.

"This is my sword, Crocea Mors, that comes along with a shield. They're family heirlooms." She reached out, but stopped herself before she touched the blade. "You can touch it." He handed Ruby the sword and shield and she went crazy, checking everything she possibly could about the weapons.

"What do they do?" At this, Jaune blushed slightly, thinking back to the variety in Ruby's scythe.

"Nothing, really… The shield can be turned into a sheath for easier traveling though." Ruby clicked the button on the shield and it did just that. Sliding Crocea Mors back into the sheath, she handed it back to him.

"It's a classic, and a well forged one at that. I like it." Jaune clipped it back onto his belt, they smiled at each other.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

"I also have this." Pulling the staff from his belt loop awkwardly, he pressed the button and watched Ruby's face as it transformed into a scythe.

She went from intrigued to stunned in an instant. When he looked back at the weapon, he could tell why. The blade was made from a black metal that looked seamlessly forged when put together. Carved onto the blade was a beautiful design of roses, so breathtaking that Gamer's Mind had to kick in. He looked back to Ruby Rose and chuckled lamely.

"The roses are coincidental, I promise." Without a word, she reached out for it and he gave it to her. She felt up the entire weapon, not leaving a single area untouched. When she got to the middle, near the button that changed it back and forth, she stopped. She looked at him, considering something, before shaking her head and handing it back to him.

"It's… Amazing. Did you build it?" He put the staff back in his belt loop and considered that question. This was the weapon he had gained from his 'previous playthrough' whatever that meant. So for all intents and purposes, it was probably Ruby herself that built the weapon, if the design was anything to go off of. Except, he couldn't exactly say 'no, you build it in the future,' so he just went with what she said.

"Yeah. Me and a few others." He didn't want to take full credit, lest she think him a godly crafter and make assumptions that were simply not true.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 5/200**

 **[OK]**

If it wasn't already obvious that she was impressed, he sure as hell knew it now. He had to wonder why, though. Especially when her weapon could achieve so much more than his.

"Still, it's an awesome scythe. Good job on it."

"Thanks." They descended into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ruby looked around.

"Hey, where are we going?" He blinked in confusion.

"I was following you…"

* * *

It was Jaune's high luck that allowed the two of them to make it to the amphitheater before everything got started. At the entrance, Yang was waiting for them.

"What took you guys so long?" Yang asked, a threat to her question.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

So far, that skill wasn't very helpful. Thankfully, Ruby was looking out for him.

"Calm down, Yang. Nothing bad happened. We just got lost." The older sister raised a speculative eyebrow, then leaned over to fake whisper to Ruby.

"Are you sure he didn't give you any… Strange looks?" Jaune blushed before Gamer's Mind took away his embarrassment. Not that he wasn't still embarrassed, but he lacked the flustered-ness that came along with it. Ruby shoved Yang away.

"No Yang. Jaune was a perfect gentleman the entire time." At this, the blond grinned.

"So he's only got eyes for me then, ey?" Her grin grew wider when his blush returned. "Come on, Ruby. I've got a spot for us up front. See you later Jaune." She left him with a wink and Ruby gave him a wave. When they had both walked away, two screens popped up.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

And,

 **Secret Quest Complete:  
** **Form Bond with Ruby Rose**

 **Optional Quest Complete:  
** **Make it to Amphitheater before beginning ceremony**

 **Failure Avoided: Death**

 **Reward: +30 Lien, +30 EXP  
** **Optional Reward: +10 EXP, +1 DEX**

 **[OK]**

What was it with these quests and the failure being death? No doubt by Yang once again. In other news, it seemed the optional quests always rewarded with a stat point. Maybe if he stopped getting secret quests and started getting regular ones, he could go for the optional objective. He didn't get as much EXP or Lien this time, probably because making a friend out of Ruby was significantly easier than surviving an encounter with Yang. Did everyone here have to be so deadly, or related to someone so deadly? Well, it was a combat school, so the answer was probably yes.

Finding himself a spot near the front, a little ways away from Ruby and Yang, Jaune considered what was happening to him. After cheating his way into Beacon in hopes to become the world's greatest hunter, he had gone crazy on the airship in. That, or the much more improbable thought that his life had actually turned into a video game. Even saying that, he now had a weapon on his side that he had summoned from thin air and others had seen and touched, so while he still might be crazy, his life was most definitely a game. Had his life always been a game and he had just never known? Was he real or just some video game character that had unfortunately gained sentience? For that matter, was anyone else real, or were they just parts of the game? Did-

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Existential Crisis**

 **[OK]**

Just in time to hear the gray haired man on stage clear his throat.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." After that… Inspiring speech, a blond haired teacher spoke next.

"You will gather at the ballroom tonight, tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The teacher, who he assumed to be Glynda Goodwitch based on the similar voice from the airship, walked off after the gray haired man who hadn't introduced himself, leaving the students to be alone. This unfortunately left him with one question.

"Where even is the ballroom?"

* * *

While everyone else slept, Jaune laid awake in his onesie, staring at the invisible light of his menus. Finally, he was going to check on some skills. This 'Gamer's Mind' was too helpful to ignore any longer. While everyone was awake it helped him to not stare at all of the apparent supermodels that went to this school. If a teenage boy was anything, it was lusty. But not Jaune, not anymore. No longer beating around the bush, he clicked on the 'skills' option from the main menu.

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.**

 **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **Observe LV: 1- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.  
** **At LV: 1- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 100 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 50 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 40 levels.**

 **Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **[Learn New Skills]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

He had already assumed as much from Gamer's Mind, but Gamer's Body was something else entirely. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't gone to the bathroom in a few hours, and it had been even longer since he ate something. It was weird to think that he never had to eat or relieve himself, but it was convenient nonetheless. Sense Danger was as self explanatory as Gamer's Mind, but Jaune wanted to experiment with Observe before he hit 'Learn New Skills.'

From what it sounded like, this skill could become extremely useful if he managed to level it up. Sitting up in his spot, Jaune looked to Ruby and consciously tried to 'observe' her. Immediately, something popped up.

 **Name: Ruby Rose  
** **LV: 36 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Fire of the Forge**

Damn. Level thirty six. That meant that she used to be level eighteen last game. If she was the average student, that meant there was a thirty five level difference between him and the rest of the students. That… Was worrying. He needed to check someone else, someone like Yang.

 **Name: Yang Xaio-Long  
** **LV: 42 EXP: NULL**

He couldn't even see Yang's title! This time, however, he noticed the 'null' under experience. Jaune thought about this while checking the stats of the people around him and came to two reasonable conclusions. One, if the other people weren't gamers, it would make sense that they lacked experience and instead had to rely on actually training to get stronger. And two, the average Beacon Student was level thirty eight with one girl being at least over fifty one since he couldn't see her level. Meaning, he was most definitely fucked.

Forgetting to check the 'Learn New Skills' option because of his new overwhelming lack of confidence, Jaune decided to get some sleep, though he wasn't tired because of Gamer's Mind. Maybe when he woke up in the morning, this would have all been a dream, and he wouldn't be so outclassed by his peers.

Maybe.

* * *

 **This idea has been floating in my head for a while now, and I wanted to just get it out there.**

 **Like all my one-shots, this can potentially become a story if you really want it. Just leave a review if you want me to continue. If you're coming from my previous RWBY story, know that this won't take priority, should it become a full fledged story.**

 **If it does become a story, you guys can vote on the pairing as we get into each character.**

 **I don't have much else to say as it's 12:30 PM where I am and I am very tired.**

 **Whether or not you want the story to continue, helpful criticism welcome, and until next time,**

 **-RMV**

 **Edit Note: I've gone through and made a bunch of changes to try and streamline the aesthetic of the menu, as well as fixing some typos. This site really changes what the story looks like on the Google Doc. I've been trying to use all of your help and feedback, so if you want the story to be better, keep the reviews coming.**


	2. Getting 'Rekt' Part One

Jaune was woken by that pop he was already starting to hate the sound of. Even without looking at a clock, he somehow knew he got exactly eight hours of sleep. Something he also now knew, sleeping on the floor was not comfortable, no matter what pajamas you wore.

 **You have slept on an uncomfortable surface:  
** **HP, AP, and MP somewhat restored**

 **[OK]**

Right next to him, someone else was about to be awoken as well. A orange haired girl was leaning over some guy with a pink streak in his hair, just staring at him, a big smile on her face. Any other day, he wouldn't be able to muster the courage to talk to this random stranger, much less a female stranger. But today, and yesterday, he had no grievances. One thing this game seemed to be good for was social interaction.

"Umm… Hello." He greeted the female, who turned to him with an almost crazed look in her eye. Instantly, he felt regret.

"Hi!" She was loud, to be sure.

"What are you doing?" She tilted her head, which seemed weird considering it was already sideways due to her stance.

"Waiting for Renny to wake up, of course!" He blinked. The way she spoke made it seem like he was being stupid for even asking the question.

"Oh. I'm Jaune, by the way."

"Cool!" She said nothing more, going back to staring at who he assumed to be 'Renny.' That man must've had the patients of a saint. He got up from the ground and took one last look at the pair.

"Umm… Bye then…"

"Bye!" At that, Jaune waited for a moment. Then he waited some more. Nothing.

He supposed making bonds with people wasn't that easy. He had probably just gotten lucky with Ruby and Yang. Well, whatever. It was fine. A social butterfly, Jaune was not, and frankly, he probably never would be. Though… He did have a charisma stat, if he really felt the inclination.

By instinct and routine, he brought himself to the bathroom. His pants were already down when he realized that he didn't have a need to go. Huh. That was gonna take some getting used to. While he was there, though, maybe he could learn some new skills, considering he would definitely need them after what he saw last night.

Opening up the menu, he took a quick look at his stats on the off chance that they weren't as pitiful as he remembered.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 90/200  
** **Title: [The New Kid]**

 **HP: 100/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

 **STR: 15  
** **DEX: 6  
** **INT: 5  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 5  
** **CHA: 8 (6+2)  
** **LCK: 13 (10+3)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title  
** **SP: 24**

 **[Go to Second Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

They were. Not to mention, he wasn't even halfway towards leveling up. Though, with only two quests under his belt, things could have looked worse. Shaking off the disappointment of his own power, he went to the skills screen and hit 'learn new skills.' Two menus popped into existence.

 **New MP Skill Acquired:  
** **Absorb LV: MAX- Allows the gamer [UNKNOWN]  
** **At LV: MAX- [UNKNOWN]**

 **[UNABLE TO LEARN]  
** **[Go Back to Skills]**

Focusing on the first skill for now, both 'unknowns' said the same thing when hit.

 **The use of this Skill cannot be revealed until Skill is observed in use, Skill is learned, or Observe Skill LV: MAX.**

 **[OK]**

At this point, he wasn't surprised. Pretty much everything he had gotten from the 'previous game' was either unknown to him, or unable to be used. In this case, it was both. For why he was unable to learn it, well, the requirement was a bit ridiculous.

 **Absorb Skill Requirements: INT: 75, WIS: 75, [UNKNOWN]**

 **[OK]**

Jaune didn't even bother checking the unknown of this screen, knowing he would just give himself a migraine in frustration. Actually, he probably wasn't able to get migraines due to Gamer's Mind, but that was besides the point. The next Skill was… Just plain dumb, really.

 **New AP Skill Acquired:  
** **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to channel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **[UNABLE TO LEARN]  
** **[Go Back to Skills]**

Considering all of the skills his past self, or was it future self, must have learned, this just seemed insulting. Why couldn't it be something cool, like the ability to summon fireballs at will or teleportation? Not to mention, Jaune's stats were so abysmal, he couldn't even learn something as simple as a jump. Checking the requirements made his blood boil.

 **Jump Skill Requirements: STR: 10, DEX: 10, END: 10**

 **[OK]**

Something about being so close to those stats, yet not actually there yet, made him mad. Not in an 'overwhelming rage' way, Gamer's Mind wouldn't allow that, but in a slightly miffed kind of way. Instead of using more of his SP right off the bat, Jaune decided to wait to learn this skill for when he naturally achieved those stats. Simply making that decision made him feel more mature, like he was waiting for his paycheck before he spent vicariously. Besides, he had already used a bunch of SP for the scythe and wasting those points probably wasn't a good idea.

After an inordinate amount of time in the toilet stall, Jaune splashed water on his face a continued his daily routine. He stared into the mirror, the mirror stared back.

"You're strong. You're smart. You're handsome. You got this…" His voice trailed off, partly because he wasn't feeling the confidence today, and partly because the only other guy in the bathroom was staring at him. It was Renny, and behind him was the only girl in the bathroom, also staring at him with a great big grin. Jaune racked his brain for an appropriate response and decided he definitely needed a private bathroom. "I won't say anything if you don't." Jaune gestured to the female and Renny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then they widened and he blushed.

Finding his restroom companions suitably silent, Jaune emerged to begin his day. Before he could go far, the orange haired girl asked a question that he needed to hear the answer to.

"What did he mean, Renny?" Jaune smirked when Renny coughed nervously.

"I… I think he was talking about sex, Nora."

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Nora Valkyrie  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"Well, that's not right, right Renny?" The female Jaune now knew as Nora asked.

"Uh… Let's stop talking about this."

Jaune couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He may be absolutely fucked in terms of skill, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun at Beacon. In fact, that meant he should try even harder to find those moments. Aside from literally everyone at Beacon, Jaune would end up being his own worst enemy if he continued his defeatist attitude.

He decided to head to the locker room while everyone else was either at breakfast or still sleeping, since changing in front of everyone had been weird enough the first time. Especially when your clothing of choice was a onesie. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have brought the onesie, but it was just too comfortable to leave behind.

The locker room itself wasn't so bad. Sparsely packed save for the lockers, obviously, it had a good color scheme to it. Not to mention, the pattern on the floor was very intriguing and complex. At first, the pattern looked like it was placed at random, but when you looked from the right angle, it spelled out 'you're screwed.' Okay, maybe it didn't say that and Jaune was just trying too hard to ignore his impending death, but it still looked nice and no one could deny that. After almost an hour of being completely bored out of his mind, students finally started to pour in for preparations to the initiation.

When he saw the students doing practicing their form and stretching out their muscles, Jaune realized how much of an idiot he was. This whole time, instead of staring at the ceiling, he could have been grinding. His life was a video game! Surely running around in circles would do something for his dexterity, right? Even if- Actually, no. Especially if all stat gains were twice as hard to achieve. The days of 'lazy Jaune' needed to go, and if he made it through the day, he'd have to become more mindful of his time usage.

"So, Pyrrha, have you thought about the teams?" Jaune stopped his self beratement to listen in on a conversation between two beauties to his left. The girl with white hair that he almost become enamored with yesterday had been the one to speak.

"What about them?" Pyrrha inquired. This girl was similar to beauty with the White haired girl. She had bright red hair pulled into a ponytail and golden armour, looking like an amazon of sorts. Using the observe skill, because he should get in that habit, he realized that this was the person whose level he couldn't even see.

 **Name: Pyrrha Nikos**

 **[OK]**

He did this to the other girl as well, if only to get some more experience for the skill.

 **Name: Weiss Schnee  
** **LV: 40 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Ice Queen**

 **[OK]**

Ice queen… Huh. She must have been smart enough to recognize Pyrrha's apparent talent.

"Well, considering our status, I thought it would be best if we came together to form the ultimate team." The woman warrior raised an eyebrow.

"Our status?"

"The elites of society, obviously. I must say, it is very impressive that you managed to rise above the constraints of your family and achieve greatness. Your father must be proud." Pyrrha frowned in confusion, but then gave a sad smile and put her hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"Is yours?" Weiss' eyes widened, but before she could respond, Jaune made his move.

"So ladies! I heard something about teams, are you in?" Weiss pulled away from Pyrrha and gained a disgusted look.

"In what?"

"Why, the winning team of course! Aka, my team." The ice queen sneered and he knew that she didn't like him whatsoever. How did he know this for certainty? Well, how else but the game?

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -1/200**

 **[OK]**

Jaune knew bonds could go down, but he was not expecting negatives! Only with his luck, did life turn into a videogame that made everything tougher rather than easier. Obvious, it wasn't this hard the first time, but this wasn't the first time, was it?

Seeing that Weiss was hopeless, he turned to the, in his humble opinion, significantly less elegant, yet far more built person beside her.

"How about you, hot stuff?" Echoing the events of just prior, Weiss stepped in before Pyrrha could respond.

"Don't you know who this is?" Jaune shook his head negative, looking at the girl in question. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -2/200**

 **[OK]**

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"Pyrrha Nikos? Graduated top of her class in Sanctum Academy."

"Never heard of it."

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -3/200**

 **[OK]**

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"She was the four time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament!" Weiss wasn't yelling, but she was close to it. Curiously, when he gave his third negative response she actually growled at him. Her, a human being, growling at him, another human being. Certainly not an experience he'd had before.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -4/200**

 **[OK]**

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

"She's on the box of ever Pumpkin Pete's Frosted Cereal!" So that's how he recognized her. That cereal was delicious. His eyes lit up in amazement and he could tell that they noticed.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Shock**

 **[OK]**

"That's really cool." He said to the red haired girl finally, trying to be as casual as possible. "I thought they only did that for cartoon characters and star athletes?" He calmly asked for her confirmation. She nodded.

"Yes, well, I'm not a cartoon character." She told him, smiling. He opened his mouth to talk more, but Weiss once again butted in.

"Surely now you don't think yourself good enough for the likes of us." He thought back to Pyrrha's level. Really, the ice queen was right. He was not good enough for them, he wasn't good enough for anyone in Beacon. But there was the defeatist attitude again, and if he had any shot in hell to survive, it wouldn't be thinking like that.

"Actually, I just think you're jealous of my team with Pyrrha, over here." Weiss spluttered and he continued. "Trying to break us up to stop the ultimate alliance was very sneaky, but it won't work! See you around Pyrrha." With a smile on his face and confidence in his step he left the locker room.

 **Secret Quest Complete:  
** **Form Bond with Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee**

 **Optional Quest One Complete:  
** **Have the last word and make a cool exit**

 **Optional Quest Two Failed:  
** **Make a positive bond with Weiss Schnee**

 **Failure Avoided: Death  
** **Optional Reward Two Avoided: +50 EXP, +7 CHA**

 **Reward: +20 Lien, +30 EXP  
** **Optional Reward One: +10 EXP, +1 CHA**

 **[OK]**

Damn, that second optional reward was huge! Though, judging by what he had seen of Weiss, it made sense that befriending her gave a great reward. It was probably impossible! Regardless, what he did manage to get wasn't bad, and now he was over halfway towards leveling up. Things were looking good, or at least, better.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 130/200  
** **Title: [The New Kid]**

 **HP: 100/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

 **STR: 15  
** **DEX: 6  
** **INT: 5  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 5  
** **CHA: 9 (7+2)  
** **LCK: 13 (10+3)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title  
** **SP: 24**

 **Equipment:  
** **Right Hand Weapon: [Scythe of Destiny]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Scythe of Destiny]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **Lien: 110  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **Bonds:  
** **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 3/200- Thinks you're interesting  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 5/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 1/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: -4/200- Thinks you're obnoxious and an idiot  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 2/200- Unsure of you but hopeful  
** **[UNKNOWN] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[Go back to Main Menu]**

After he stopped going over his extended stats page which he figured out how to create, he soon realized that he had no idea where to go. Luckily, an announcement sounded for all students to come to the cliffs for initiation, or else he would have been awkwardly walking around in circles trying to avoid the lockers. And if he ran into Pyrrha or Weiss again, his whole 'cool exit' would have been ruined. Would the game take away rewards if he failed an objective after the mission was over? That would be unfair, but knowing his luck, the answer was probably yes.

* * *

The view from the cliffs was stunning. You were able to see for miles out, with not even a hint of modernization to obscure the sight… Which meant the forest was full of monsters, because civilization equaled safety.

The majesty Jaune looked upon was the Emerald Forest, but he knew that before Professor Ozpin said anything. He now knew the teachers names because he observed them, not surprised to find he couldn't see their level.

 **You have arrived at the Emerald Forest. Here's a cut scene of what happened in your first game:**

Jaune didn't need to hit anything, since the menu disappeared nearly as soon as it arrived and a holographic image of himself appeared right where he was standing. The image first looked confused while listening to Ozpin and Goodwitch talk, then it's eyes widened and it was suddenly thrown into the air by an invisible force.

"What the hell…" As the cutscene replayed, he looked around the area for any potential monsters hiding behind him. He could find nothing that might cause the scene to happen this time around. Beside him, Ruby looked completely distraught and he finally decided to listen in on the teachers' announcements.

"Now, since every future hunter and huntress should learn to expect the unexpected, you will be fired into the forest at random. Jaune Arc, you first." Ozpin told him, pressing a button on a scroll. Unlike all the other times Jaune had seen him, this time his teacher looked… Mischievous. A very, very unsettling sight. Especially when combined with Ms. Goodwitch right next to him looking, dare he say it, sadistic.

"Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Without warning, well, without a proper warning, Jaune was flung into the air like his cutscene counterpart.

His first thought was, 'I am going to die.' Which of course meant that the first question was, 'how do I prevent that from happening?'

He had gone very high, and the tree canopy was approaching just as quick. Time was not on his side, obviously. In the hours before, when he had been trying not to think about the ways he would die, 'death by falling' had never crossed his mind. 'Death by Grimm' was what he had been betting on, so did that mean he owed himself five lien?

If only he had something that allowed him to not take fall damage…

Wait…

Was future-Jaune fucking serious? Out of all the asinine ways to possibly survive a fall, 'jump' was by far the stupidest. Why hadn't he given himself the ability to grow wings or levitate himself? Something cool as supposed to… 'Jump.'

As Jaune fumbled through the menus to give himself the necessary stats to learn the skill, he swore that he'd find a way to abuse it. That thought, though he didn't have any idea how to pull it off, gave him some comfort while he threw aside his past decision to save his SP.

 **New AP Skill Acquired:  
** **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **[Learn Skill]  
** **[Go Back to Skills]**

The 'learn skill' option was hit just as Jaune reached the canopy. Unfortunately, it didn't negate damage from branches, not that he thought it would, result in his exposed body parts to be cut mercilessly.

Translation, he gained a shallow cut cheek and left hand.

When he landed, he instantly felt weird. While he took no damage, as the Skill said, for a brief moment he got the ghost of what he would have felt. A… Tingle traveled up his legs in the split second it took him to compose himself, then it was gone.

This made him stop long enough to see the fact that his shoes had created half inch holes on the ground, basically confirming that his bones would have been shattered without the Skill. Jaune probably wouldn't have died from this, instead becoming crippled and waiting for the Grimm to finish him off. A morbid thought, but he wouldn't owe himself five lien anymore.

Finally getting over his death defying experience, he looked around, wondering exactly what he was supposed to be doing. Zoning out the teachers was turning out to be a big pain in the ass for him.

Luckily, his life was a game. An annoying and hard game, but a game nonetheless.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Complete the initiation**

 **Objective One: Find a partner  
** **Objective Two: Find a relic**

 **Optional Quest One: Kill a Beowolf and Ursa  
** **Optional Quest Two: [UNKNOWN]  
** **Optional Quest Three: [UNKNOWN]**

 **Reward: +100 Lien, +50 EXP, A place in Beacon Academy  
** **Optional Reward One: +10 Lien, +10 EXP, +1 DEX, +1 STR  
** **Optional Reward Two: [UNKNWON]  
** **Optional Reward Three: [UNKNOWN]**

 **Failure: Death/No entry to Beacon  
** **Failure to accept Quest: Death**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

The game loved to give him the illusion of choice, didn't it? After carefully reviewing his options, he choice to accept the quest. Not that there was much debate to begin with, even if he failed, that could still end better for him than not accepting. Hopefully the optional quests were easy to achieve and gave good rewards, because as it was right now, completing the initiation wouldn't even get him to level two. Frankly, he doubted it.

But now to the problem at hand, how was Jaune supposed to find a partner? Why would anyone want to be on his team to begin with? Maybe if he caught up with Ruby, they could work something out, or maybe even Pyrrha and Yang, it things didn't look too good for him in that area. Regardless, he should probably get moving. This 'relic' wasn't going to find itself and he was easy pickings to the Grimm so long as he stayed in one place.

Find a person, find an object. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Why did he jinx himself? Jaune was going to have a hard enough time without cosmic irony trying to make him scream. Only a total of, oh, two minutes had passed when he encounters his first enemy.

A single, puny looking, Beowolf in the middle the middle of a clearing. Finally doing something smart, he observed the obstacle before proceeding

 **Name: Gary  
** **LV: 5 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf**

 **[OK]**

It was a sad day when a Beowolf had better levels than him. How was he supposed to go on? Sensing Jaune's self doubt, Gary spun on a dime, ruining the element of surprise. At the same time, Jaune had a small thought about race, like why didn't the game say anything on that?

 **New Feature: New Features  
** **While the game provides you the basics, you need to be the one to think of something new. Think of it as, whatever you see and think about is a feature, and when you think about and see other things, those become features too. Got it? Don't answer, you're not talking to anybody.  
** **Adds: The ability to introduce new features into the game. These features cannot be ignored once thought of.**

 **[OK]**

 **New Feature: Race  
** **Didn't think it mattered, but you went and made it an issue, didn't you?  
** **Adds: The section, Race, to someone's stats. Observe can now see the race of people within 30 levels.**

 **[OK]**

 **New Race Options Available**

 **[OK]**

While Jaune was distracted by the three pop ups, the presumably more experienced Gary pounced on him. Jaune would have liked to say that it was his dexterity that got him out of the way in time, but it was probably his luck more than anything. Fumbling to pull his scythe from his belt, he managed to dodge another charge from the Beowolf before finally arming himself.

Finally seeing a danger, Gary was smart enough to start circling Jaune while he chopped nothing but air. Wielding a scythe was nothing like a sword, but from movies and instinct, Jaune was able to hold his weapon in a descent form.

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Scythe Proficiency**

 **[OK]**

These menus would be the death of him, Jaune realized. As a natural reaction to something showing up in his face, he looked to the screen. While the Beowolf couldn't see the screen, or maybe it could but didn't care, Gary could see that Jaune was distracted once more and lunged. Unlike before, however, this time Jaune was able to react accordingly. Half suspecting something like this would happen, he jumped to the side, ready enough to scythe strike down the side of his foe.

Gary did its best to adjust in midair, still managing to land on its feet, though the cut along its side made it look slightly worse for ware. Then… His scythe glowed a dark shade of purple, and so did the cut on the beowolf's body. This must have been the 'dark' damage that was promised. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite of desire effect.

Once the glowing stopped, Gary's psychic seemed to change, it bulked up just a bit, its legs became slightly longer, and he seemed overall less puny. Not to mention, it's eyes gained a… Twinkle to them. As if the beowolf had started seeing the world from a whole new perspective. While this happened, Jaune observed Gary once more.

 **Name: Gary  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **[OK]**

We're his eyes deceiving him, or had that beowolf just gone up a level? No time to think about it when Gary was already on the attack again. If it was smarter, Jaune couldn't tell, as the Grimm had taken to the same strategy as before, circling then lunging. Certainly more aggressive, at least. Jaune dodged as usual and got another strike off, this time not hesitating to follow up with another three slashes before Gary could get away. The scythe glowed once more, and now the change to Gary's body was noticeable.

Jaune watched in a mix of horror and fascination, but mostly horror, as Gary's claws and fangs visibly extended along with the enlargement of all the muscle in its body. This beowolf looked completely different from the one Jaune had challenged only mere minutes ago.

 **Name: Gary  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **[OK]**

No denying it now, his weapon made Grimms stronger. That… That was a problem. Ignoring the possible implications of owning such an object, Jaune tried to switch weapons to his sword. Thankfully, the scythe looked to be doing damage, but Jaune didn't want to mess around with that power any longer. Unfortunately, before he could get himself a weapon that didn't empower his enemy, Gary decided that he had enough of waiting around.

Yes, attacking the beowolf with a weapon that increased its level was stupid. But what else could Jaune do? Defeat the Grimm with his bare hands? Only an insane person would do that. Truly, he had never been more terrified in his life. Fighting against the snapping jaws of a beowolf as they only got bigger over time… And to think he had a hope of success seven minutes ago.

He put up a rather decent defense considering the ever growing level gap, even got his scythe proficiency up to level two, but all good things come to an end. Gary feinted to the left, and Jaune fell for it, striking at full force towards an enemy on the opposite side. In his moment of weakness, the beowolf was able to get a scratch in before Jaune could get himself away from harm's reach.

"Ahhh!" While Gamer's Mind allowed him to ignore all pain, it didn't work instantaneously. In the short time that he was able to feel his arm, the world seemed to turn upside down. Never in his life had he felt a more excruciating pain. Once the agony disappeared, Jaune made a quick look to his HP.

 **HP: 40/100  
** **AP: [LOCKED]  
** **MP: [LOCKED]**

In a single attack, barely even deep enough to draw blood, Jaune had lost over half his health. Gary, startled by the sudden noise, backed away, giving him what Jaune might an inquisitive look. Jaune observed the Grimm one last time.

 **Name: Gary  
** **LV: 25 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Mindful  
** **Race: Advanced Grimm**

 **[OK]**

Before he could even ponder the title "Mindful," Gary's head snapped to the side and he bolted in the opposite direction. Not a moment later did something jump out from the forest and into the clearing. Jaune couldn't tell the figure's features, but one thing was something.

It was a human.

"Oh thank the gods! I have been sent a savior!" The figure, previously looking at the escaping Grimm, subconsciously snapped his head towards Jaune. Jaune could now tell that it was the man from the bathroom, Renny. Their eyes met and Renny sighed.

"I suppose his means we're partners…" Renny decided, clearly unhappy with the way things turned out. Jaune was floored, but he wouldn't complain. As it turned out, fighting a beowolf was impossible, but finding a partner really wasn't that hard!

"Thanks, Renny." Jaune said, placing his scythe back on his belt and exchanging it for his sword. Renny blinked and his face went blank.

"What did you just call me?"

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: -1/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

 **So now it's official, this story will continue. Frankly, I'm blown away by the amount of support I got on the last chapter, and I hope I don't disappoint you guys.**

 **That being said, the best way to make this story not suck like shit is to review it. I've gone back and edited all of last chapter with the help of all of your reviews. I have also used some ideas from your reviews, like The Exiled Darkness suggesting that I use cut-scenes instead of thoughts. I totally didn't straight up steal that idea from him...**

 **But in all seriousness, thank you for all the support once more. I'll be editing this chapter later on, perhaps tomorrow or the day after, depending on your reviews.**

 **There were a few votes on character pairings last time, but I'm gonna hold off on that for now. As you may have noticed, each character is different from their originals, and a good amount of this story will be spent going to their lives. The romance will be a slow-burn type thing and I'll start counting up the votes once we've gotten a decent look at all the main characters. And if you were wondering, no, I did not just put Jaune and Ren together so as not to influence the pairing. Well... Maybe I did, but there were other reasons too!**

 **Helpful criticism welcome, your awesome reviews appreciated, and until next time,**

 **-The guy that changed his username, but still hasn't gone back to edit his old stories to reflect that yet...**

 **I should do that some day...**

 **-RMV**

 **Edit Note- Fixed up the spacing once again. Unfortunately, Fan Fiction doesn't keep the same spacings that Word does.**


	3. Getting 'Rekt' Part Two

"Uhh…" No sudden movements, Jaune told himself. Perhaps his new partner's vision was based on movement. He could visibly see Renny's hands clench a bit harder on the triggers of his guns. They weren't aiming at Jaune, but they probably would be in a second.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

"You called me 'Renny.' Where did you hear that?" Jaune flinched at the sheer coldness of Renny's words. Was he really about to be murdered by his own partner? They had only just met a few minutes ago, and already there was infighting. If Jaune had boots, he would be shaking in them right now.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Terror**

 **[OK]**

With that out of the way, Jaune decided that the best excuse would simply be the truth.

"I heard Nora call you that and assumed it was your name." Saying it out loud actually gave Jaune a bit of confidence. Why would he be killed for something as ridiculous as a name? He was going to be fine, Renny didn't seem like the type of person to snap at something like that, ignoring the fact that he already had. "Should I not call you that?" At that Renny got uncomfortably close to Jaune's face in a near instant.

"Nora calls me that. No one else. If you have to, you can call me Ren." Jaune nodded, and Renny- No. Just Ren got to a more comfortable distant away. At this, two screens popped up.

 **Secret Quest Complete:  
** **Survive an encounter with Lie Ren**

 **Optional Quest Failed:  
** **Make a positive bond with Lie Ren**

 **Failure Avoided: Death  
** **Optional Reward Avoided: +50 EXP, +2 INT**

 **Reward: +20 Lien, +30 EXP**

 **[OK]**

 **Objective Complete:** **Find a Partner**

 **[OK]**

Well that was a great thing to see! As long as he came out of the initiation alive, he would definitely be level two.

"Okay then, Ren. I'm Jaune Arc. Pleasure to meet you." He put his sword and shield in one hand for a moment to go for a shake. Ren looked down at the hand and frowned. "What's wrong?" Jaune asked.

"You're bleeding." Jaune looked to see that what Ren had said was indeed true. The cut Gary the Grimm had given him ended up being deep enough to draw blood. It didn't hurt, because of Gamer's Mind, and wasn't enough to cause him to die from blood loss, so Jaune shrugged it off.

"It's fine. Any bandages you have would be nice, but I'm not in a serious condition." Jaune tried to reassure his partner, but to no avail.

"How come your aura hasn't kicked in?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. Why was his partner talking nonsense?

"My what now?"

"Aura."

"Bless you."

"Jaune. Do you really not know what aura is?" Jaune wanted to think Ren was joking, but his tone of voice a demeanor said the exact opposite.

"I… Uhh… Yes…?" Ren gave him a deadpanned stare, and Jaune knew he hadn't been convinced. Perhaps he should have equipped the other title first.

"How could you possibly get around Vale without knowing aura? Every Hunter has it." The dead look in Ren's eyes was beginning to make Jaune uncomfortable, and Gamer's Mind didn't seem to be able to prevent that. It made sense in a way, if gamers were anything, they were self conscious, which was like being uncomfortable with yourself. And not to mention, what would be the point of 'CHA' giving him confidence if he'd never need it?

"I come from a small town on the outskirts of Vale. The Hunters that come there never stay around long enough to give anything more than a few fighting tips and motivational one-liners. You know what I mean?"

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 0/200**

 **[OK]**

"I know what you mean. It's always the strong that never give the weak the time of day." Ren practically preached. Jaune nodded to that. It was basically the motto of any civilization far outside of the central city.

"Which is why need to become stronger for ourselves." Jaune completed the proverb. "Your a town boy too then. Anything you can tell me about this 'aura.'" For a moment, Jaune considered asked Ren about his town, but thought against it. Living outside the city was a fragile thing. Jaune was lucky to live in such an established area, but not every had that luxury. It was simply edicate to allow one to tell you about their town, as opposed to asking. And if the notification was anything to go by, Ren was thinking the same thing.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **B** **ond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"It'd be better to just show you. Not having aura may have gotten you this far, but it won't take you much further." He put a hand in Jaune's head, and started chanting. Instinctively, Jaune closed his eyes. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." Even with closed eyes, he was blinded by the light.

All of a sudden, he was faster, stronger, smarter, possibly even on the same level as all of his peers. For the first time in his life, Jaune felt truly powerful… For about three seconds, until a screen popped up and he went back to normal.

 **Stat Bonuses from AP and MP nullified because of New Game Plus status.**

 **[OK]**

This game hated him, and he hated this game. Even still, he could feel the presence of something new within him.

"So what do I use it for?" Jaune asked, looking to his cut that had quickly healed in a blinding like. Ren thought about this.

"That's… Entirely up to you, I suppose. Really, you can do almost anything with it. Mainly though, it acts as a damage absorber and heals your wounds." While Ren tried to put the entire history of Aura in a few simple words, Jaune stuck a glance at his stats.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 1 EXP: 160/200  
** **Title: [The New Kid]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **HP: 100/100 (+10 HP Every Second for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1200/1200 (+10 AP Every Second)  
** **MP: 120/120 (+5 AP Every Second)**

 **STR: 15  
** **DEX: 10  
** **INT: 6 (5+1)  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 9 (10-1)  
** **CHA: 9 (7+2)  
** **LCK: 13 (10+3)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 15**

 **[Go to Second Page]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

So it seemed that his race had made his intelligence go up by one, but his endurance went down by the same amount. Jaune would have to check on the race option when he had some more time. In other news, if Ren was correct in his statement, Jaune now had twelve times more health at his disposal. That was awesome, to say the least. Now he just needed to know what 'MP' was and he'd be dead set. Scratch that, he'd be set. Jaune was now trying to make a conscious effort to avoid words relating to death as to not jinx himself.

"So, do you understand?" Ren asked, snapping Jaune out of his thoughts. He'd ask about MP some other time. Right now, he still had to find a relic, whatever that meant.

"Yeah, thanks. Umm… Where are we heading now?"

"North. That's where the relics are located." Jaune's eyes widened. Ren was like a godsend. Not only did he volunteer to be Jaune's partner, but he also knew about this 'relic' stuff.

"Yeah! Let's go!" With renewed vigor, Jaune started towards whatever direction he thought was north.

"That's not- Oh, wait, that is north. Huh."

* * *

"Oof!" Jaune grunted as Ren's arm stopped him in his tracks.

"Quiet!" He whisper-yelled. "Grimm ahead." Ren gestured just beyond the trees, where Jaune could faintly make out the unmistakable black fur of a Grimm.

They crouched down a slowly approached the scene. From his position, Jaune could make out three beowolves, each not more powerful than Gary was to start.

 **Name: Johnson  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Bobert  
** **LV: 8 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Democratically Elected Leader  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Henry  
** **LV: 7 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **[OK]**

Democratically elected leader? Uh… Sure. Ignoring that oddity, Jaune told Ren what he knew.

"I think that one in the middle is the leader, he seems like the biggest." Ren nodded to his assessment.

"I agree. You take the one left, I'll take the one on the right. Ten we'll team up on the middle one. Ready?"

"Wait what?" Before Jaune could protest, Ren had already engaged Henry, hitting him with a barrage of bullets from his bright green weapons and tackling him into a bush, quickly followed by Bobert. Not wanting to leave his partner alone in the fight, Jaune, too, charged in with his inspiring battlecry. "Dammit Ren!"

Jaune managed to get a slice off on Johnson before he jumped away, getting into a fighting stance. This time, thankfully, Johnson stayed the same level and there was no purple glow. Jaune sighed in relief, now confirming for sure that it was his weird scythe that had the effect and that it wasn't just him. At the same time, a menu appeared. Unlike his last fight with a beowolf, though, Jaune was expecting it.

 **New Skill acquired:** **Longsword Proficiency**

 **[OK]**

The fact that he didn't have that skill beforehand was a little annoying, but Jaune shook the thought away. He and Johnson circled each other for a few moments before he lashed out, letting his nerves get the better of him. He didn't want this to end up like last time, regardless of the weapons in play. Unfortunately, his haste was his downfall, as Johnson easily dodged and countered with a slash on his non-shield side. Unlike the last time he was hit, he didn't even flinch at the pain. While still eying up the Grimm, he took a look at his health.

 **HP: 100/100 (+10 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1150/1200 (+10 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 120/120 (+5 AP Every Ten Seconds)**

Fifty damage?! While it didn't seem like much compared to the sheer amount of aura he had, it was only ten damage away from Gary's attack at level twenty five! Perhaps it had to do with his aura not getting the same natural defenses that his base health did, but he couldn't ponder on it for too long. Maybe if the attack only did five damage, Jaune could rush in a brute force kill the Grimm, but fifty damage per attack from something much more nimble than he was shouldn't be messed around with. He'd have to play the waiting game.

The waiting game took place for all of ten seconds until Jaune had a thought. How come he couldn't see the enemies health and aura, or whatever it was that Grimm had? Health bars were a videogame staple. Just like that, he got the screen in his face.

 **New Feature: Health and Health Bars  
** **You do realize that this will only end badly for you right? How? Ah, well, I won't spoil the surprise if you don't already know.  
** **Adds: Observe can now see the health of people within 75 levels. When in combat mode, a Health Bar is automatically shown on the top of the enemy's head, or on the bottom of the screen for bosses.**

 **[OK]**

So that was officially a thing. Not to mention, his observe skill was quickly turning into the most versatile thing in existence. As promised, a health bar was floating above Johnson's head. It was mostly red, with a part of it greyed out.

 **HP: 540/600**

Ugh. This was gonna take a while. Why did everything have to be so hard? At the least, he was getting some form of experience. He had gained a proficiency skill in light shields when he finally got Johnson to hit the damn thing instead of just going around it. As it turned out, using a shield was hard, and ignoring it to just attack with your sword was way easier. After a bit, Jaune hooked it back onto his belt. It sounded stupid, but if you thought about it, it kinda made sense. With how powerful all of Jaune's enemies were and would be, it would do him better to dodge more than block. At least for now while his dexterity was higher than his endurance.

After a good five minutes, the grand battle was coming to an end. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, but only one was walking away with their lives. If Jaune had the capability to pant, he would have been. His aura had been knocked into the low seven hundreds during the fight, while the Grimm's health was all the way down to twenty. Just one more hit would end it all.

Jaune stared down at Johnson, who was about to become his first kill. The wolf was twitching and bleeding everywhere. Never before, had Jaune seen a beowolf's death look so gruesome. A good hunter was usually able to kill a beowolf in one or two hits, never allowing for what could most definitely be classified as animal abuse.

"It's been fun, Johnson, but now I must say goodbye. You were a-"

 _ **BANG!**_

A bullet went through the Grimm's heart and it turned to dust instantaneously. Jaune blinked in shock, and then turned to the source of the bullet. Ren stood tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for Jaune.

"Come on, Jaune. I already took out the other two. I don't know what took you so long, but it's fine." Ren turned away and started moving north once more while Jaune stared into space, waiting for a menu to pop up. It never did. Then he checked his stats. One hundred sixty experience points, just as before. Jaune took a deep breath to try and calm his rage.

"Did he just steal my kill?" Jaune got no answer…

This game hated him.

* * *

When they came in contact with another pack, Jaune was tempted to now steal Ren's kill, but thought better of it. One, it was a dick thing to do. And two, Jaune really didn't want to find out how Ren would react. His partner had been getting increasingly annoyed that they were moving so slow, to which Jaune replied that they were moving way too fast.

When he was finally able to kill his very own Beowolf, it's name was Joe, this menu popped up,

 **Beowolf Slain!**

 **Rewards:  
** **(10 Lien x 80%)= +8 Lien  
** **(5 EXP x 80%)= +4 EXP**

 **[OK]**

Twenty percent reduction on all loot drops, as promised. Jaune wondered how they would round the number if it was something not easily converted to percent. Probably down, no matter what the decimal.

He didn't get any real 'loot' items, like a claw or Fang or something, but that was for the best. As of now, he didn't have a place to carry all of that. Before the initiation, he dropped all his money in his locker so that his pockets wouldn't be full. Jaune was glad he did, or else he'd be limping with the amount of single Lien notes he'd have to carry. And no, he wasn't complaining about getting money from the game, but… It could be a little much.

 **New Feature: Reduced Money  
** **At your request, the game has decided to give you less money. Probably for the better. We wouldn't want to add to inflation, now would we?  
** **Adds: All Lien drops from enemies are now halved. Quest Lien will remain the same.**

 **[OK]**

"Dammit!" He couldn't have just shut his mouth, or well, mind, could he?

"What?" Ren turned toward Jaune for an explanation, only for the perfect excuse to come out right behind him. Jaune pointed to said excuse.

"Ursa!" Without a second thought, his partner jumped out of the way as a huge bearpaw came crashing down on his previous location. As per usual, Jaune observed the creature.

 **Name: Sasha  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Ursa  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **HP: 1500/1500**

 **[OK]**

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Terror**

 **[OK]**

"This one's bulky. We're gonna have to take it slow, as a team." Jaune reported his findings to his partner. In the face of a beast as great as this, it would be best to have a plan. Specifically, one that didn't involve him taking on the Grimm by himself. "You draw its attention with your range, and I'll get strikes off on its side. That good with you?"

"Yes. Let's-" Ren was unable to finish his thought, as a voice sounded from the forest, making even the auras pause.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" It sounded to Jaune like that Nora girl he met earlier. She must have found her way to the relics, and was pretty close if the noise was anything to go off of. Unfortunately, Ren seemed to have the same realizations Jaune did.

"Nora." His partner mutter to himself, determination evident in his voice.

"Let's focus on the Ursa first then-" Jaune's words had no effect on the pink eyed man, and Ren took off running, disappearing into the trees. "Ren?" Jaune asked, futilely hoping that his partner was just joking around with him and simply hiding in the bushes. "Buddy…?" He tried one more time to no success.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

Facing the music Jaune turned his attention to the Ursa standing in wait behind him.

"Maybe we can talk this out- Okay! Never mind!" He barely dodged out of the way of a vicious strike, one that would have likely taken his head off if he didn't have aura. No time for games, this was gonna take all his concentration.

Having said that, Jaune was dedicating a little too much of his brain to being mad at Ren. Gamer's Mind didn't kick in because Jaune could still think and focus freely. He just chose what to focus on, and aren't happened to be the wrong choice. Distracted by Ren's betrayal and not even arming himself with a shield, Jaune inevitably caught a full force blow to the chest causing him to fly backwards into a tree.

After letting Gamer's Body remove the intense pain he was feeling from his rib cage, Jaune checked on his health.

 **HP: 100/100 (+10 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1045/1200 (+10 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 120/120 (+5 AP Every Ten Seconds)**

Okay, that was a lot. But maybe Sasha also took a lot of damage while giving it, like a glass cannon. Yeah. And then the reason she had high health was only because of her level. Yeah! He could do this!

Getting into what he hoped to be a proper ready stance, Jaune pushed himself off the tree with a yell. First he dodged under the Grimm's strike and slashed the stomach. Then he went around back while slashing the side. Finally, while the Ursa was reorienting itself, Jaune got out of there feeling like an absolute badass. Then Sasha growled.

 **HP: 1480/1500**

Well then. It was probably best to take a page from Ren's book, and run like a bat out of hell. As any sane person would, Jaune bolted with the Grimm right on his heels. Jaune didn't even need to look back to know that Sasha was chasing him. The noise it made told him all he needed. Gamer's Mind had to nullify terror multiple times, as he was being chased by a GODDAMNED BEAR.

It took a little while for Jaune to realize that he hadn't been getting tired while running. Like a smart runner, he was conserving his stamina, but because of Gamer's Mind, he'd be able to run full force without breaking a sweat. So he did. Obviously. The roaring of the Grimm faded and the light of the outside world brightened. It seemed that he was exiting the forest.

After a final lunge to safety, Jaune bursted out into a large clearing. The middle of the clearing caught his attention, containing a large stone structure with three people on it. Jaune could make out Ren and Nora, but he was unfamiliar with the person next to Nora. Being a normal human being, didn't try and use Observe on them before they even introduced themselves. Or, more accurately, he did try, but it failed because he was too far away. It didn't matter though, because he was going in the direction anyway. He was definitely going to grill Ren for leaving him when he got the chance. And then there was the pop up.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

"Oooo! Ursa!" Jaune could heat Nora's delight as he went flying forwards into the stone altar from the Grimm's devastating blow. He had been completely unable to react.

 **HP: 100/100 (+10 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 945/1200 (+10 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 120/120 (+5 AP Every Ten Seconds)**

Either Jaune didn't get back up to full health, the surprise attacks did more damage than regular ones, or hitting this stone did a lot more damage than Jaune anticipated, as now his entire body hurt in the split second that it was able to. Spitting out some debris he collected during his flight and subsequent landing, Jaune turned into his back, deciding to rest for a short bit. Above him, Nora's face came in close.

"Hi Jauney! I heard that you're Ren's partner. How do you like him?"

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

Huh. That was the first time the Skill came in any handy at all. He didn't actually realize Nora was threatening him until he saw that. Jaune guessed that meant he'd have to tell the truth.

"I think he's cool. A little all over the place though. Like when he left me to fight that Ursa over there because he heard your voice in the distance." Nora smirked and looked over to Ren without lifting up her head.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Nora Valkyrie  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

"You know, you're a good guy, Jauney. Is there anything I could help you with?" Nora whispered. Jaune found it a little odd, but rolled with it.

"You could help me kill that Ursa, but let me get the last hit." He whispered back. Nora's eyes lit up and she picked him up to his feet in an instant.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Nora Valkyrie  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

"Let's do this!" The ginger haired girl yelled while she ran towards the Ursa at full speed, dragging Jaune through the wind behind her. When they were mere feet away from the Grimm, which had been waiting patiently for them to stop talking, Nora dropped Jaune back to the ground, pulled the giant hammer off her back in quick succession, then smashed it into Sasha's face, causing a noticeable crunching noise. "Sorry, Sasha!" Nora shouted her apology as she wound up to hit the stomach.

Wait. Did she just call the Grimm by its name? No. That couldn't be right. Jaune was just imagining things. Ignoring that, Jaune was very happy to see that the Ursa's health bar was now extremely low.

 **HP: 100/1500**

Then Jaune frowned, as the person who managed to do this amount of damage in two hits also just threaten him a little while ago. Did he almost just die? No time to think on it now, as he had a Grimm to kill off.

Picking himself up to his feet, Jaune took his sword and hacked at the downed Grimm. He got through to the bone, but it wasn't enough to kill the beast. He hacked again, but the result remained the same. Before he could hack a third time, Nora stopped his arms in midair.

"You're not very good at this, huh?" She asked rhetorically. Ignoring his indignant shout, she took his sword and aimed it at Sasha's neck. "You need to hit the weak points if you want to do enough damage to kill it." Following her lead and taking back Crocea Mors, he stabbed the Grimm through the neck, making it disappear instantly. Suddenly, his vision was clouded with menus.

 **Ursa Slain!**

 **Rewards:  
** **(20 Lien x 50%)= +10 Lien  
** **(10 EXP x 80%)= +8 EXP**

 **[OK]**

 **Optional Quest Complete:  
** **Kill a Beowolf and Ursa**

 **[OK]**

 **New Feature: Weak Points  
** **Every enemy you'll ever face has some point that you can hit with a specific type of damage to do a lot more damage than any other point. If you were better at fighting, you would have already unlocked this feature hours ago.  
** **Adds: Specific Weak Points to all potential enemies. Higher level Observe will allow you to see these weak points with ease.**

 **[OK]**

That last one was rather helpful. Jaune grinned ear to ear. He really wasn't expecting that. Not to mention, there was even an inverse to this, so Jaune could always do a base amount of damage.

 **New Feature: Strong Points  
** **Some enemies have places where doing a specific type of damage just doesn't work. You knew this would happen when you thought that. Are you some kind of masochist?  
** **Adds: Specific Strong Points to all potential enemies. Higher level Observe will allow you to see these weak points with ease.**

 **[OK]**

Jaune smile faded. It seemed this would be a reoccurring trend in his life now. Always, things would have a downside, no matter what. Sighing in temporary despair, Jaune turned to the powerhouse that helped him out.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

"No problem! Next time, though, stick to the tutorial." His eyes widened and she skipped off towards Ren and the mystery girl.

"Did she just- No… But- No…" Jaune just wasn't thinking straight right now. He needed to focus, concentrate. He had a goal, and he needed to achieve it.

Bringing himself over to his newfound companions, he turned his attention to Ren.

"That's for the assist back there, Partner." Jaune's voice was deadpanned, but Ren seemed to shrug it off.

"No problem, Jaune." Something was definitely off here. Ren's entire demeanor changed. Before he looked tense and constantly on guard, but now he looked as if he was a monk in meditation. For the life of him, though, Jaune couldn't figure out why. Then he turned to the left.

Nora's partner was… Simply beautiful. There was no elegance to her like Weiss or sheer sex appeal like Yang, but no one could deny her plain beauty. She wore a bow in her straight black hair that went down to the center of her back as well as her- No. he wouldn't go there. Pale skin contrasted well with her dark outfit, and piercing yellow eyes told him that he had been staring too long. Damn it, Gamer's Body. Where were you in that one?

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

Oh yeah, thanks for the save. Back to what he realized with Ren, his partner had a crush! No doubt about it. Unlike him, Ren couldn't control his lust, in turn he had fallen hard for this new face after catching up to Nora and was now trying to play it cool. Jaune wouldn't have taken Ren for that sort of guy, but then again, he had only known his partner's name for a few hours. Coughing to clear the air, Jaune held out his hand to Nora's partner.

"Hi, I'm Jaune." She glanced down at his hand for a few seconds with an undefinable look. After just long enough to make the situation awkward, she shook it. That, along with her tense posture, showed that she was obviously nervous. Hopefully, he didn't cause too much of that.

"Blake." One word, apparently all the information he needed. Well. Time to Observe.

 **Name: Blake Belladonna  
** **LV: 40 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Silent Shadow**

 **HP: 4000/4000  
** **AP:** 11250/11250

 **[OK]**

That… Was a lot of health. Or did it only seem like it because she was the only person he had observed with his new features? Might as well check Ren and Nora, since he surprisingly hasn't already done so.

 **Name: Lie Ren  
** **LV: 38 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: Withered Rose**

 **HP: 3800/3800  
** **AP:** 10900/10900

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Nora Valkyrie  
** **LV: 42 EXP: NULL**

 **HP: 4200/4200  
** **AP:** 11600/11600

 **[OK]**

Nope. She was just average, not strange at all. Speaking of strange though, 'Withered Rose?' What kind of title was that? Probably something private, no doubt. Anyway, it was time to check another objective off his list.

"Ren, did you grab a relic?" Jaune asked his 'Withered' partner, gesturing to the three pedestals within the stone structure that still had figured on them.

"Not yet." He replied in a weirdly chill voice. "Which one did you choose, Nora?" The orange haired girl seemed to smirk for a split second before her face went completely innocent.

"I got the cool horsey! You should to!" Jaune noticed Blake, who had been absorbed in her own little world for the moment, looked up in confusion, but after consideration, put her head back down. Ren nodded.

"Alright. I guess we can choose that one." Jaune raised an eyebrow to this. Ren said 'we' but he clearly meant 'I.' Jaune didn't care that much, but it was an observation. Another observation was that there were still two knights left. The 'Withered Rose' went over to the pedestal, collected one of the knights, not noticing the second, and stashed it… Somewhere.

 **Objective Complete:  
** **Find a Relic**

 **[OK]**

Before another conversation could be started, a scream was heard from above.

"Heads up!" Jaune looked up to see Ruby falling from a Nevermore, approaching the ground fast.

"Uhh… Should we do something?" He asked his companions. Blake ignored him, Ren was busy staring at Nora, and Nora was staring at him with a crazed grin on her face. "What is it?" Jaune questioned the ginger, getting a little nervous.

"It's time to save the damsel in distress, hero!"

"Wait wha-" All of a sudden, Nora had grabbed him and hoisted him over her head. "What are you doing?!" Jaune struggled to get down, but he was no match for her sheer strength.

"Go get her!" With that, Jaune died.

Okay, so that was a lie. But Jaune did feel like his life was passing before his eyes, as he was flung towards the falling Ruby. Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was skill- It was luck- but miraculously, Ruby and Jaune's trajectories combined to form a gentle slope. This allowed the two of them to roll to safety and landed them directly on their feet. Checking that he was still alive, Jaune was stunned.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Stun**

 **[OK]**

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 6/200**

 **[OK]**

"Thanks for catching me, Jaune." Ruby said to him. Unlike him, she didn't look any worse for wear. In fact, she didn't look like she had been in a single fight at all! Was he really that bad, or did everyone else just have strong clothes? Jaune already knew the answer to that.

"Did you just leave me up here?!" Jaune couldn't even respond to Ruby since Weiss made her presence known. Jaune again looked up to see the girl in question hanging on the side of a Nevermore. Her partner's face contorted in annoyance.

"Maybe if you listened to me for just two seconds, you would know that was the plan!" Ruby shouted back. There was no audible response, but Jaune was almost convinced that he heard an indignant huff from up in the sky.

"I think she's gonna fall." Jaune commented to the small huntress next to him. Weiss was obviously struggling to maintain a grip on the giant bird's feathers.

"I'm sure 'Miss Perfect' will be fine." Ruby replied, not even looking up.

"She's falling."

"Maybe she'll land on her head and stop being such a bitch." Well then. Jaune would say that was uncalled for, but it really wasn't.

"I'm gonna catch her."

"Fine. But when she gets all pissy, don't say I didn't warn you." Jaune shook his head and got into position.

As he stood about to catch a beautiful woman, of many of which he was already surrounded by, Jaune took a moment to think back on how crazy his life had gotten in only a day and a half. He went from being a complete loser to… Well, still a complete loser, but a loser with super powers. Doubly so, since he now had aura. Would every day from now on be as insane as this, or would these days be few and far between? Being completely honest, Jaune wasn't sure which he prefered. Anyhow. Was he doing something? Oh yeah, he was gonna catch the Ice Queen. He should probably focus on-

"Oof!" He grunted. Lost in his thoughts, Jaune failed to catch Weiss, instead having her land right on top of the dust cleared, it was seen that they were in a super dirty position. Or at least, that's what you would have thought considering Weiss' reaction.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -5/200**

 **[OK]**

"Ugh! How dare you touch me?" She shot up from her position sitting on his back.

"Hey!" Ruby came to his rescue. "He just saved you from your fall, you should be thanking him!" Jaune wanted to add his own two cents about the whole situation being fine, when they broke out into an argument that clearly had nothing to do with him. It was hard to listen to, but at least Jaune could be assured in the thought that he and Ren weren't the only partners with issues.

"So." Jaune remarked, walking back over to where the civilized people, and Nora, were. "We have to listen to a fighting pair, and there's still the Nevermore that will undoubtedly be heading back this way. Is there anything else that wants to ruin the day?" He asked rhetorically. Nora snickered, and he both mentally and physically berated himself for tempting fate like that. Then… He stopped. Nothing had happened.

"Weird. I was really expecting something else to go wrong because you said that." Nora commented.

"Yeah. Me-"

"Whooohooo!" Jaune heard Yang before he saw her, and he saw Pyrrha even before all that. The scarlet haired warrior bursted into the clearing like a woman possessed, and shortly after, Jaune could tell why. Right on her tail was a huge Deathstalker, and on its tail was-

"Is she _riding _that thing?" Blake added her few words to the conversation for the first time in ages. Her eyes were darting around like crazy, but she seemed the tiniest bit more at ease with Nora standing beside her.

"Awesome…" Nora muttered, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Oh no…" Ren muttered in tandem, knowing what was to come of this. Jaune also heard Ruby and Weiss arguing in the background.

"She's insane!" Weiss cried as Yang was flung off the Grimm with a smile on her face. It was gaining, fast.

"Don't call my sister crazy!" Ruby growled at her partner.

"I didn't. I called her _insane_. Though I suppose _you _wouldn't know the difference. Ugh, weak minded fool…"

"Weak!?" It was fairly safe to say that by this point, Ruby was outraged. "I'll show you whose weak!" With speeds so fast Jaune could scarcely track Ruby with his eyes, she flung herself towards the oncoming Deathstalker. Rose petals followed her as her sheer force bent the air into a cone in front of her. When she was only ten feet away from the Grimm, she jumped up in the air and winding back Crescent Rose, which was in scythe form, for a devastating hit…

Only to be bitchslapped right out of the air. It sounded harsh, but there was simply no other way to describe it. With a thud, she bounced off the ground and came to a halt directly in front of the giant scorpion.

"Oh shit, Qrow's gonna kill me." Jaune heard Yang curse as she ran off to try and help her little sister. Right after, Weiss ran off saying a similar thing, but she used the name 'Winter' instead of 'Qrow.' Well, Jaune assumed that these were names, but that could very well likely not be the case.

Ruby managed to get up on her feet before she was smashed by one of the Deathstalker's claws, and starting running out of there. She had most likely come to the conclusion that trying to win an argument wasn't worth her life. Jaune wasn't confident that anyone else he had met so far was able to make the same choice. It was just then when the Nevermore came back around. Was it just a coincidence, or did bad stuff happen to sane people? Heh. That sounded like something a child would ask their mother.

'Mommy, why does bad stuff happen to sane people?'

'Because, sweetie, the universe loves messing with people who think they have their shit together.'

Anyway. Because of said logic, Ruby got her cloak stuck on a feather that the Nevermore shot out. This allowed the Deathstalker to catch up to her in what could only be described as the world's deadliest tagteam. Yang was thrown off by the feathers as well, being unable to come to the rescue, All seemed lost for Ruby, when suddenly Weiss froze the Deathstalker in its tracks, saving the young huntress in training. As Weiss went on to explain that she would not be the first team to lose a member, Jaune wondered two things. Why had he done nothing, and why had he known everything was going to be okay?

The first question had two parts and the first was pretty easy to answer. He couldn't do anything because he had nothing to do. He had barely any special powers, his stats were trash, and he barely even knew how to use a sword. What was he supposed to do?

The second reason Jaune had done nothing related to the second question. He had known everything would be fine, so there was no need for him to do anything. He had gotten an overwhelming sense of deja vu, like he had known exactly what was going to happen. That made sense, considering he had already done this all before, but it felt like something… More than that.

Once Ruby, Weiss, and Yang started jogging back towards the stone temple, Jaune snapped out of his stupor. He couldn't shake the feeling, however, that something had changed. Probably for the worst.

* * *

"So what now?" Ren asked the lot of them, as Ruby and Yang grabbed their relics. Ruby got the knight while Yang took the final rook.

"We all have our relics, we can just go back to the cliffs without fighting either of them." Blake suggested, then immediately seemed to regret speaking, as all eyes were on her. In an effort to help, Jaune added his thoughts.

"I'm gonna be completely honest when I say that I have no idea what we're doing right now, but running and living does sound like the best course of action." Hanging onto Ren, who was still trying to make himself look chill for Blake, Nora disagreed with her partner's idea.

"Aww… But that's boring!" She complained. "I wanted to fight them." Yang looked as though she was going to agree, but Ren spoke first.

"When we get done with the initiation, I'll take you back here to finish them off, okay?"

"Just us?" Nora prodded.

"Just us." Ren confirmed.

"Yay! Alright then. I'm with Blake. Let's get out of here as soon as possible." Yang deflated a bit as her only support disappeared before she could take it. On the other side of things, both Ruby and Weiss seemed to agree with this plan, while Pyrrha looked lost in thought while staring at her partner.

Everyone stood around for a minute more, awkwardly waiting for someone to move, when Jaune heard the ice holding the Deathstalker start to crack, and the Nevermore began its third turnaround. Seeing as no one stepped up to the plate. Jaune took action himself.

"What are we waiting for? Come on!" He took off running, and luckily, everyone followed without complaint. It would have looked a little awkward had he been running alone.

* * *

The plan of 'running and living' went rather well, all things considered. With the amount of Grimm lurking in the forest, it was a miracle that the group had run into none on the way to the cliffs. Getting past that, was a different story. The Nevermore was relentless in its chase, occasionally firing potshots at anyone that it caught sight of between the trees. When the group had gotten out of the forest, the Nevermore decided to be a big pain and perched itself on top of a pillar, between them and safety.

"What now?" Ren asked Jaune as they crouched behind a pillar. "How do we get past that?" Racking his brain, Jaune tried to think of something.

"Do you know of anyone with an explosive weapon?" Jaune questioned his partner. "They may be able to distract the Grimm long enough for us to get closer." It was a shot in the dark, but the best thing he could think of. Jaune wished that the Nevermore would get closer, as he had been unable to use observe to try and notice any weak points.

"Nora! Distract it!" Ren called to Nora, who stood alongside Blake. She nodded, rushing out to draw attention to herself. Her hammer morphed into a grenade launcher, prompting everyone to move forwards while the Nevermore got hit in the face. It was a tough situation, but at least they put the Deathstalker behind them.

And then it was literally behind them, crushing any tree in its path with a roar. Hey, it wasn't Jaune's fault that his brain wandered, it just happened. Regardless, this only prompted everyone to move faster across the bridge they were on. Lucky for them, the Deathstalker knew that its weight wouldn't be supported on the bridge, so it didn't try and cross. Unlucky for them, the Nevermore, being a good teammate who knew its partner's weaknesses, slammed itself right into the bridge, splitting the merry band of hunters and huntresses in half.

On one side was Yang, Pyrrha, Nora, and Blake, who had all made it across the bridge and set their sights on the Nevermore. And on the other side was Jaune, Ren, Ruby, and Weiss, who had the easy task of taking down the Deathstalker. At least now, Jaune could observe it.

 **Name: Sebastian  
** **LV: 32 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The First Boss**

 **HP: 3114/3200**

 **[OK]**

'Sebastian the killer scorpion.' It had a nice ring to it, and it would probably look good on a gravestone. Unlike 'Jaune Arc the failure of a hunter.' That wouldn't look good at all, which was why it should stay off a gravestone for as long as possible. Plainly speaking, Jaune was just trying to resolve himself to not die today.

Getting his head back in the game, Jaune saw his companions getting trashed. They all acted like support fighters, trying to open up as many weak points as they could to other people, but there was no one to take those openings, no one to take the bulk of the blows.

"Oh no…" Jaune said, coming to a horrid realization. "Am I the tank?" It made sense, considering he was the only one with a shield. "Fine." Jaune commented to nobody while pulling out his shield. "I'll be the tank. But only this once. I don't have the stats to keep up a role like that."

Finally all together, Jaune entered the , he noted the health at the bottom of his vision, indicating Sebastian's boss status, as his title said, but he wisely chose to ignore it. With all the strength he could muster, Jaune gave his first hit on the Deathstalker.

 **HP: 3097/3200**

He did no damage. What might have looked like damage coming from him was actually his allies shooting the Grimm over and over as it swatted at them, but even that was barely doing anything. Had Jaune not had Gamer's Mind, he would have been screwed, but he did have it, so he wasn't.

"Guys!" He shouted while trying his hardest not to get hit. While it helped slightly, the Deathstalker was still able to take over a hundred points off his aura. With the little amount that he had, dodging was the best strategy. "Aim for the eyes, or open it up so I can get to them!" Weak points were the only way he'd be able to defeat Sebastian.

No one responded, but almost immediately there was a shift in tactics. Weiss, listening to his order without even a single complaint, started trying to freeze the Grimm's claws to the ground away from its face. Ruby, from afar, started sniping the joints on the body, so that it wouldn't feel the need to cover its face. And Ren went behind Sebastian, occupying the tail. All of this culminated in Jaune's opening.

Holding his sword like he would an icepick, Jaune jabbed Crocea Mors in four of the Deathstalker's biggest eyes before it could react.

 **HP: 1563/3200**

It wasn't enough, and now it was Sebastian's turn to attack. Disregarding any prior knowledge of how much weight the bridge could hold, the wounded Grimm charged forward in a 'blind' rage. Sorry, now wasn't the time for puns. Sebastian crashed into Jaune, sending him flying, as well as causing the entire bridge to collapse on itself. While Sebastian fell into the abyss below, Jaune was going higher than he ever had before. And then he started coming back down.

Unfortunately for Jaune, his trajectory put him on a crash course for absolutely nothing, allowing him to fall into the abyss right after Sebastian did. With nothing else to do, Jaune closed his eyes and screamed.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhh- Oof!" Then he bounced to the side. He opened his eyes just in time to see a snowflake glyph right before it disappeared. Soon after, Jaune hit the ground with a thud. His aura was pretty badly damaged, but Jaune payed no mind. Around him, Weiss, Ruby, and Ren were all panting like animals.

"Next time," Weiss said between breaths. "You save yourself." Passing out on the ground, Jaune's other two companions followed suit not long after.

Had Jaune been able to feel exhaustion, he would have definitely been in their position. But instead, he reclined on his back, watching as the other half of the group dealt with the Nevermore that still remained. Today was tough, but now it was finally over.

 _ **BAM!**_

 _ **POP POP POP POP POP!**_

 **Deathstalker Slain!**

 **Rewards:  
** **(50 Lien x 50%)= +25 Lien  
** **(300 EXP x 80%)= +240 EXP**

 **[OK]**

 **Optional Quest Complete:  
** **Kill a Deathstalker**

 **[OK]**

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Complete the initiation**

 **Objective One Complete:  
** **Find a partner  
** **Objective Two Complete:  
** **Find a relic**

 **Optional Quest One Complete:  
Kill a Beowolf and Ursa  
** **Optional Quest Two Complete:  
** **Kill a Deathstalker**

 **Optional Quest Three Failed:Kill a Nevermore**

 **Failure Avoided: Death/No entry to Beacon  
** **Optional Reward Avoided: +10 Lien, +10 EXP, +1 INT, +1 WIS**

 **Reward: +100 Lien, +50 EXP, A place in Beacon Academy  
** **Optional Reward One: +10 Lien, +10 EXP, +1 DEX, +1 STR  
** **Optional Reward Two: +10 Lien, +10 EXP, +1 END**

 **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up!  
** **All relevant modifiers have been applied.**

 **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up Some Skills!  
** **Observe LV: 2  
** **Longsword Proficiency LV:2**

 **[OK]**

There was just... Too much to process. Jaune couldn't care less right now. Maybe later, after a nice rest, would he dare to look at his stats and skills again.

* * *

"Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie, Yang Xaio-Long. The four of you collected the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Penny." On the screen above them, the initials 'PBNY' were shown. Next to him, Jaune saw Ren's jaw drop. He must have been disappointed that he wasn't on Blake's team.

"Sorry, Renny! I got the pieces mixed up!" Nora yelled to him from the stage, not looking remotely sorry. Ignoring the outburst, Ozpin continued.

"Led by… Pyrrha Nikos." There was something to the Professor's voice that made him sound just a little too pleased with the arrangement. Pyrrha, however, wasn't betraying any emotion, nodding her head and sitting back down without a word.

"Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Ruby Rose. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Jeweler." Just as before, everyone's initials were put on the screen to create 'JWLR.' Ren looked absolutely miserable, while Weiss looked as if she was going to get an award. "Led by…" This time, Jaune could definitely see the wicked smile on Ozpin's face, making him shiver. "Jaune Arc."

"What?!" Weiss cried, but Ozpin had already walked off the stage, whistling a happy tune along the way.

Jaune wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad about this new development, but he did know one thing right off the bat.

This game fucking hated him.

* * *

 **Big thank you to CasuallyPosting for being the Beta for this chapter. Go check out his stuff.**

 **I realized when making team names, that if you had a team of Pyrrha, Blake, Nora, and Jaune. You'd have team PBNJ, or team Peanut Butter and Jelly. Just a thought, feel free to use that. Also, i** **f roosterteeth can ignore a W in RWBY than I can ignore a B in PBNY.**

 **Once again, the support for this story has been outstanding. Thank you guys so much. I know these chapters take a while, but with all my boring 'real life' responsibilities, I just try to make it the best and fastest I can.**

 **Moving onto Questions and other Reviews**

 **There is no weight glitch. Jaune cannot use the inventory whatsoever.**

 **Jaune's definitely gonna have people that get far down in the minuses like Cardin, but does anyone really want to have an enemy?**

 **I said I wasn't going to do a Harem, and I won't, but if enough people want it, Jaune can be paired with two people, possibly to fight over. That's not final, just an option that I am fine with.**

 **All things will be revealed in due time, do not worry.**

 **Jaune defintely does have a lot of aura, but now it's all gone because of New Game Plus. Oh, what horrible god would do such a thing? (Laughs maniacally)**

 **That's a good question. Why does everyone split Ren and Nora up? I notice that a lot, but never found it weird until now.**

 **And that's all. If you have any comments or questions, please review. Thank you once again for the support.**

 **And until next time,**

 **-RMV**

 **Edit Note: Officially the longest chapter I've ever written, so the next chapter might not take as long to come around. No promises though.**

 **Edit Note 2: I changed the exp Jaune gained from the Deathstalker because it was way too low. Some people complained that this story was being too harsh on Jaune and I agree. In the future, I'll try to avoid making the story seem like a 'Jaune-Bash' because that's not what I want it to be.**

 **Edit Note 3: I fixed it. I didn't realize it was broken, but now it's better. New Chapter coming soon.**


	4. First Day Woes

The next day started early for Jaune. Having exactly eight hours of sleep ended up with him waking up at exactly 5:37, at least this time it was a comfortable bed. Being normal human beings, Jaune wasn't surprised to see the rest of his team still unconscious. Weiss was muttering something about 'Disappointment,' Ren displayed his emotions about as much as a rock would, and Jaune would have bet all his money that Ruby was dreaming about shopping for weapon parts. It was a nice scene, peaceful, heartwarming even. A stark contrast from last night.

Stepping into the bathroom, Jaune came to the realization that this would be the third time he would check his stats in the bathroom. Was this just gonna be the norm now? It made sense, if not a little weird. Shaking off his thought, he pulled up his stats for the first time since he leveled up.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 2 EXP: 282/400  
** **Title: [EQUIP]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **HP: 200/200 (+10 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1200/1200 (+10 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 120/120 (+5 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **STR: 16  
** **DEX: 11  
** **INT: 6 (5+1)  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 10 (11-1)  
** **CHA: 7  
** **LCK: 10  
** **Current Modifiers: Race  
** **SP: 18**

 **Equipment:  
** **Right Hand Weapon: [Unarmed ]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Armour: [Pajamas]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **Lien: 293  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **Bonds:  
** **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 3/200- Thinks you're interesting  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 7/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: -10/200- Despises you  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 2/200- Unsure of you but hopeful  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: 1/200- Happy you understand the way things work  
** **[UNKNOWN] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[Go back to Main Menu]**

Okay, so some things had certainly changed since he had last checked. Not surprising in the slightest. He'd start from the bottom and work his way down. Some good news, he was over halfway to level three already. Some bad news, it seemed that the criteria for leveling up had doubled as was advertised. Things would only get worse from here.

Next was his title.

 **Available Titles:  
** **[The New Student (LV2)]: Title rewarded for becoming a Beacon Student. Grants +1 INT, +3 Charisma, and +4 Luck as you stumble around like an idiot trying to learn things.** _ **Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded**_

 **[Newbie Deceptionist]: Title rewarded for conning your way into Beacon. Grants +10% success rate on all deceptions for being so good at lying.** _ **Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded**_

 **[The True Reaper] Title rewarded for [UNKNOWN]. Grants +50% MP, +50% MP damage, +100% on intimidations, and -50 Bond with all surrounding humans while equipped.**

Level two? That must have meant his title had been upgraded. Well, no duh. It didn't take a genius to realize that. This did make Jaune wonder how titles were lost though. If he didn't lie for a long time would he lose 'Newbie Deceptionist?' Maybe, but that wouldn't happen anytime soon since he was living a lie by going to Beacon.

And then there was the big one, 'Race.' He hadn't gotten a chance to look at it yet, but it looked like it would function similarly to titles.

 **Race: Next Upgrade LV: 10**

 **Current Race:  
** **Basic Human (Tier 1 Human)- Provides +1 INT and -1 END.**

 **Next in Upgrade Tree:  
** **Moderate Human (Tier 2 Human)- Provides +2 INT, +1 WIS, and +2 CHA.**

 **Or**

 **Aura Adept (Tier 1 Aura User)- Provides +3 INT, +2 WIS, and +10% Damage with Aura Attacks.**

 **Or**

 **Magic Adept (Tier 1 Magic User)- Provides +2 INT, +3 WIS, and +10% Damage with Magic Attacks.**

 **Or**

 **Tempted (Tier 1 [UNKNOWN])- Provides +1 to all stats, +5% Power Over Others, and -2 Bond with all Humans.**

And Jaune was wrong. What it most closely resembled was a skill tree… Even though the actual skills didn't have a skill tree. From what he had seen of people, everyone else was a human, moderate or higher. Which meant that either everyone besides him automatically went down the human tree, or because this was New Game Plus, nobody had specked out of that tree yet. Regardless, he couldn't do much with Race right now, so he wasn't even going to think about what a 'Tempted' was.

On the other hand, Magic? Really? MP stood for Magic Points? That was simultaneously helpful and annoying. Helpful, because when Jaune will try and investigate it along with aura, he'll know what to look for. But annoying, because 'Magic' was such a commonly used word that it wouldn't actually help him in the slightest. Had it been something like… 'Lore' or whatever, it would have been much more helpful.

Anyway. With that all sorted out, Jaune took a final look at his stats for the morning.

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 2 EXP: 282/400  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **HP: 200/200 (+10 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1400/1400 (+10 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 140/140 (+5 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **STR: 16  
** **DEX: 11  
** **INT: 7 (5+1+1)  
** **WIS: 5  
** **END: 10 (11-1)  
** **CHA: 10 (7+3)  
** **LCK: 14 (10+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 18**

 **Equipment:  
** **Right Hand Weapon: [Unarmed ]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Armour: [Pajamas]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **Lien: 293  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **Bonds:  
** **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 3/200- Thinks you're interesting  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 7/200- Considers you a friend and leader  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: -10/200- Despises you with passion  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 2/200- Unsure of you but hopeful  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: 1/200- Doesn't care about you in the slightest  
** **[UNKNOWN] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[Go back to Main Menu]**

Jaune's aura grew with the equipping of his title, meaning that Intelligence was responsible for the size of his aura, considering Charisma and Luck didn't effect his max when the previous title disappeared. In other news, he had three more SP than before, which meant he got as much when he leveled up. It was good to know, but Jaune wouldn't use them now. You never know when you may be put in an emergency, like… Getting thrown off a cliff, for example.

Finally, Jaune's bonds had changed slightly over night. Ruby's bond had gone up, Weiss' down, and Ren's stayed the same. No surprises there. Jaune was happy, though, that at least one team member considered him the leader. He didn't deserve or earn the position in the slightest, but he still gained a small guilty pleasure from it.

Now that all the stat stuff was out of the way, Jaune could hit the shower and get ready for the day. It was only 5:56, but whatever.

In said shower, Jaune decided that it was time to formulate a plan. Right now, pretty much everything within a mile radius was stronger than him, so if he couldn't be strong, he'd have to be smart. Except… Intelligence was a stat so… New plan! Get stronger! But how?

The first thing that came to his mind was grinding, just going out into the woods and killing low leveled Grimm until he was super over powered. While the thought of going back into the Emerald Forest absolutely terrified Jaune, that was pretty much his only bet. He only got experience for doing quests and killing things, so hunting beowolves was his only option.

That couldn't possibly be it though. What was it that made videogames so fun? If the only way to progress and get stronger was to grind, no one would want to play them. There was something else, a lot of things else, Jaune just needed to think of them.

Customization! That was one. And yes, he was already playing as himself. Jaune was thinking in terms of skill customization. The ability to go down whatever path you wanted to have whatever powers you wanted. If he could find more skills and grind them up as well, he'd be in business. Speaking of skills though, he should take a look at his.

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.**

 **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **Observe LV: 2- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.  
** **At LV: 2- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 102 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 77 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 52 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 42 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 32 levels.**

 **Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to channel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.**  
 **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **Scythe Proficiency LV: 2- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 2- +2 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.**

 **Longsword Proficiency LV: 2- Increases the skill the gamer has with longsword-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 2- +2 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.**

 **Light Shield Proficiency LV:1- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 1- +1 Defense when using shield-like weapons.**

 **[Learn New Skills]  
** **[Go back to Main Menu]**

So far, pretty 'meh' in terms of skills. There were the weapon ones, which he could level up by just fighting, and then there was Observe, and that was it. What Jaune needed was something like 'Jump,' another aura move to pad out his move set. Now he just needed to figure out how. His other skills had been given to him by just going through the world, but Jaune doubted he'd be able to shoot fire by 'going through the world' anytime soon.

However, before he could further think on his predicament, Jaune's shower was over. Sure, he could have stayed in longer, since no one was pressuring him to get out. Buy when you grew up with seven sister, you never stayed in for longer than you needed. Besides, if he wanted to change in the room without any possible embarrassment, Jaune would need to do so before everyone else woke up.

When everything was all said and done, Jaune had freshened up as best he could and put on his uniform for the day, it was only 6:34. His team didn't need to wake up until seven for breakfast, and from the looks of it, they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. So… What now?

* * *

Jaune was unsure as to his exact reasoning for running around the campus. He thought it had something to do with building up his dexterity and figuring out the layout of Beacon so he knew his way around, but as of right now, he increased his endurance by one and was hopelessly lost. The thing was, Beacon wasn't that big. Jaune was only on the first floor, yet he was clueless as to how he even got indoors.

When all hope seemed lost, and Jaune had resigned himself to the fact that he would be a forever lost soul in the halls of the school, he caught sound of a slight banging noise. Then it disappeared for a moment, and came back louder. Jaune started walking towards it.

Six crisp beats, repeated over and over with varying levels of intensity. Jaune almost found himself walking to the rhythm as it grew louder and louder. The halls of Beacon were still empty and dark, but Jaune wasn't the only one awake right now.

Finally, he got to a set of doors. Nothing special, just two more doors in the same style as the rest. Jaune hadn't been expecting anything behind the doors, but that didn't mean he wasn't slightly surprised at what he found.

Pyrrha stood fully armoured in the middle of what looked like an arena. In front of her was a metal training dummy. Sticking to the beat, she paused, readied herself, and lashed out.

 _ **BANG BANG BANG!**_

 _ **BANG BANG BANG!**_

With one hand, she effortlessly struck the head, stomach, and legs on one side of the dummy. Not wasting a moment, she transferred her blade to the other hand and repeated the process on the other side. There was another pause, and she readied herself in a different stance. This time, she struck both shoulders and the head, then transitioning downwards, the knees and the… Ouch.

On a whim, he observed her.

 **Name: Pyrrha Nikos**

 **HP: 5600/5600  
** **AP:** 14750/14750

Five thousand six hundred health! Damn, that was larger than anything he had seen so far, way larger. All of a sudden, her practice became sort of entrancing, awing to watch. He wasn't in shock for too long though, Gamer's Mind and all. Not wanting to looked like a creep, Jaune started clapping to make himself known. Pyrrha didn't seem startled in the slightest by the intrusion, as if she was used to being interrupted while training.

"That was awesome! You're really good!" Jaune said, and immediately berated himself for. Of course she was good, she was at Beacon! What a stupid thing to say. Still, Pyrrha didn't look like she minded.

"Thank you, Jaune. I take it you're an early riser as well?" She asked, sheathing her sword and coming over to him. Jaune scratched his head.

"Well, it depends on when I fall asleep, really." He answered as truthfully as he could. Saying, 'I sleep for exactly eight hours every day because I'm living a video game' probably wouldn't go over well.

"Did you come here to train?" Pyrrha again questioned him. And again, Jaune decided truth was the best way to go. He was already living a lie, so enough was enough.

"Eh… I got lost, admittedly. But speaking of which, how are you training? Isn't it only the first technical day of school? Where did you even find that stuff." Jaune gestured to the metal dummies strewn around the arena.

"I talked with Ms. Goodwitch yesterday. You never want to miss a day of training, you know?"

"Yeah, of course! Ha ha…" So… That was a lie, but only a little one. "Anyway, are you excited that you are your team's leader? From what Weiss said, I image you were hoping for it." Pyrrha visibly faltered, and Jaune knew he hit a sore subject.

"I… Of course! I couldn't be happier. This is what I've always wanted… Heh heh…" The lie was so blatant that even Jaune could tell, and beyond that, it spawned him two new skills.

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Detect Lie**

 **[OK]**

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Lie**

 **[OK]**

Weird how he got 'Detect Lie' and 'Lie' at the same time, but he wasn't complaining. The more skills the better. Jaune decided not to push the subject, and Pyrrha quickly changed it.

"Anyhow… We still have about twenty minutes until breakfast. Would you like to spar?" That was…. Not a good idea. However, and yes Jaune was crazy for considering this, he did want to start training eventually. Why not start now?

"Sure. I don't have my equipment though." Pyrrha waved off his concern, moving over to the closet from which she had gotten the training dummies and coming out with a set of training armour, sword, and shield.

"I'll wear a set as well, and then we'll be even." She offered. Once again ignoring his survival instincts, Jaune took the armour.

Once everything had been put on, and all training dummies were where they belonged, Jaune and Pyrrha stood opposite to each other. They gave each their smiles, one reassuring and one panicked, then began the battle.

Jaune attacked first, charging in with his shield down. Pyrrha easily dodged out of the way, but didn't retaliate.

"Shield up." She said instead.

"Huh?" He questioned.

"Keep your shield up, so people don't take advantage of your wide swing. And also, keep your swings short and precise."

"Uhh… Okay." Taking her advice, he attacked again. This time, she let the strike hit her. Not moving an inch, she took a swipe at his legs, knocking him to the ground.

"You must pay attention to what the opponent is planning." Pyrrha's basically scolded.

"I thought this was a spar, not a private lesson…" Jaune muttered to himself while getting off the ground. If anything, it was better that Pyrrha was training him more than fighting him, or else he'd be smeared onto a wall right now. Still though, it didn't stop him from feeling like he was being treated like a child the entire time. Thankfully no one else was watching, or else he'd certainly be made fun of.

* * *

His pride didn't get any better once their session was over either. Almost immediately afterwards, he got a pop up that really hammered things home.

 **Training Session Complete!  
** **You're one step closer to becoming a big strong boy!**

 **Reward: +1 Bond with Pyrrha, +2 END, +1 WIS, +1 LV to Longsword Proficiency**

 **[OK]**

For a brief minute, he did wonder as to why Pyrrha had, in fact, trained him instead of fighting. She had seemingly switched into that mode the moment he went to attack her, and it only gott worse from there. He was probably reading too much into things, and Pyrrha was just trying to help, but still… Something felt off about the whole ordeal. Especially so when her bond level now read,

 **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 3/200- Yet another piece of work**

Jaune's train of thought was stopped before it could go any further, however, when he made it back to his room. Hearing commotion inside, Jaune knocked on the door. Two seconds later, Weiss opened it… Then slammed it back on his face. Some brief discussion and another second later, Ruby opened the door, actually letting him in this time.

"Hi Jaune. Sorry about Weiss, I guess getting her beauty sleep didn't help her personality!" Ruby greeted him. The second part was more aimed at the heiress than him, though. And of course, Weiss took the bait, causing them to start fighting again

As the leader, Jaune felt he should do something, but he truly had no clue as to what. Instead, he decided to throw in his hat with his partner, who was in the process of slowly and sadly putting his uniform on.

"How are you doing today Ren?" Jaune gave a neutral greeting.

"Horrible." The black and pink haired student replied.

"Oh, well… I just wanted to let you know that me and Pyrrha, the leader of Team PBNY if you remember, planned to have our teams sit together for breakfast, so-" Ren was faster than Jaune could process, putting on his clothes and getting out the door in a blur. Jaune was confused, until he remember how Ren reacted around Blake. "Ah, love at first sight. A little creepy, to be honest."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

Now that Ren was dealt with, it was time Jaune dealt with the elephant in the room. The, angry, loud, and arguing elephant. Frankly, Jaune was impressed by how much they could argue over. Before they had somehow gotten to 'the viability of scythes on the battlefield,' but had since progressed to 'the most effective kind of dust.' Really, if they weren't constantly insulting each other, Jaune could actually imagine this being a friendly conversation they might have.

"Wind is clearly the best dust type! The ability to dodge any incoming attacks, as well as knock people over with a huge area of effect is invaluable." Ruby argued for her dust of choice. For someone so awkward when it came to meeting new people, Jaune had to wonder how Ruby managed to get so hostile towards Weiss. She had talked to Weiss more than him, and he was supposed to be her friend!

"Until you encounter someone sturdy enough to take a gust of wind, or simply someone faster." Ruby muttered something along the lines of 'not possibly,' but Weiss ignored it and continued. "Ice allows you to completely stop your target, and if not that, you've still hit them with something more damaging than wind." Even just listening to that knowing tone made Jaune twitch a bit, and he was sure Ruby was even worse off. Before Ruby could respond, and subsequently make things worse, Jaune cut in.

"While I'm sure you both have very… Passionate opinions on what dust is better, we should all head to breakfast now." He directed his attention to Weiss. "If not, we might end up late for classes." Weiss glared at him and then at Ruby

"Fine. We can have a truce for now, but only for the sake of learning, and not because he said so." With that, she was out the door.

"Good job, Jaune." Ruby patted him on the shoulder, following after her partner.

"Huh." Jaune said, still a little perplexed. He was surprised that worked so well. "She must take her education seriously."

Oh, he had no idea.

* * *

It was around the time Jaune sat down that he realized he wasn't hungry in the slightest. The chocolate chip pancakes had looked so delicious just minutes prior, but now they just seemed like a waste. Well, whatever. He'd look like a pretty big weirdo if he didn't eat anything ever. Luckily, Gamer's Body also prevented stomach aches, as he found out, meaning that he could eat as much or as little as he wanted.

It seemed he was not the only one to eat as many pancakes as he wanted, as looking over to the other half of the table revealed Nora eating a stack of pancakes to large to count while chatting with Blake and Ren. Well, chatting wasn't really the best word. She was more like… Talking at them. For a moment she looked over to him with an unreadable expression on her face, but quickly smiled wide and turned back to her somewhat unwilling audience.

On his side of the table, Jaune had chosen to sit across from Yang who was next to Pyrrha. Moments later, Ruby sat down next to him.

"Where's Weiss?" Jaune asked as a concerned team leader, looking around for the heiress. Ruby just shook her head in frustration.

"She went to eat somewhere else. Apparently we weren't 'worthy' enough to be in her presence." There was a silence at the table before Yang spoke.

"Anyway, Ruby, this is Pyrrha Nikos." Yang introduced carefully. As if realizing for the first time that she was sitting at the table with someone she didn't know, Ruby 'eeped.'

"Eep! Uhh… Hi, I'm Ruby Rose! I make weapons!" The young reaper shouted in panic. Pyrrha gave her a warm smile.

"Good to meet you Ruby, Yang told me about you. I would love to be your friend." Ruby's eyes sparkled.

"Really?" Jaune found it kind of adorable how innocent Ruby was when it came to making friends. Pyrrha chuckled.

"Of course." At this, Yang clapped her hands.

"Awesome. Now that that's over with, let's get down to business. Jaune shares a room with you now. Did he… Try and peep on you?" She sounded like she was messing around, but Jaune already knew what was coming next.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

Just like last time, Ruby was there to save him.

"No Yang. In fact, Jaune was already gone by the time I woke up." Ruby vouched for her team leader.

"Plus, I would never do something like that." Jaune added to bump his credibility.

"Why's that? Don't think my little sister looks good?" And it backfired immediately.

"Wha- I- Umm… Uhh…" Yang started cracking up and Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Your face! Ha! Calm down, lover boy. I know you only have eyes for me." The blonde said with a wink, making him blush for the few moments Gamer's Mind didn't kick in. Composed, he managed a response.

"Oh yes. How could I not have eyes for someone as stunning as you? I'd have to be crazy or simply blind." Yang contemplated this, then nodded in approval.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

"Needs a little bit of work, but I like it." She criticized. Jaune mentally sighed in relief. That had been a risky move, but his new charisma modifier had paid off for the better. Without it, he would have been dead right now. Finally, Ruby couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Where are you guys from? What school did you go to? Do you like making weapons Pyrrha? I know Jaune does. Do-" The barrage of questions for Ruby's new found friends was put to a merciful stop by Yang, who had gotten up as soon as her sister started talking and clamped her mouth shut.

"One at a time Ruby, or you might just lose what you just gained." This got the reapers attention and she quieted with a nervous chuckle.

"Heh… So, where do you two come from?" Pyrrha answered first.

"I'm from a small town in Minstral. You wouldn't know of it." Team PBNY's leader replied simply.

"Long way from home." Yang commented, making Pyrrha flush a bit.

"Yes, well, hopefully Beacon is everything it promises to be." Now the attention was turned on him.

"I'm from… Uhh…" All of a sudden, Jaune had a brain fart. Where had he come from? Vale, definitely somewhere in Vale. Nothing else was coming to him at the moment. "Sorry, but I'm not sure."

"You're 'not sure' where you come from? That's horrible!" Ruby exclaimed.

"It just means he doesn't want to tell us. Maybe something happened, but it's not our business." Pyrrha explained knowingly. Ruby nodded in understanding.

"Oh! Sorry Jaune." Ruby apologized.

"Uhh… That's okay?" He responded, confused on what exactly just went down. Why was he unable to remember his home, or for that matter, where he was before the airship? A pressing question, but not one he could simply answer right now. Like many other things, he put it on the back burner for now.

Many of the other questions Ruby asked dealt with personal preference, favorite ice cream, type of drink, so Jaune had no problem with that. Pyrrha answered in the same soft tone she had for the first question, and Yang occasionally stuck her head in to add her opinion. Things proceeded rather smoothly, and he had gotten another bond level with all of them before the conversation went sour.

"This has been fun and all, but we should get going soon." Yang commented, reaching- Ahem, 'somewhere' to get her flask.

"You shouldn't be drinking that." Pyrrha pointed out. In response, Yang raised an eyebrow, downing the whole bottle.

"What? You gonna tell on me?" The future drunk interrogated, leaning into her partner's personal space. If the champion was intimidated, she didn't show it in the slightest.

"No. I'm just saying it's bad for you." She clarified, standing her ground. Hearing that, Yang backed off.

"Well then we don't have a problem. Come on. We wouldn't want to late on the first day, would we?" When everyone had got up from the table, Jaune released the breath he didn't know he was holding. Why did he have the distinct idea in his head that if anyone started fighting, he would die in the process? That didn't seem like a healthy way to live life.

* * *

The first class of the year started with a bang.

 _ **BANG!**_

Literally. The professor made his entrance by slamming down the door, giving off quite the impression.

"Welcome class!" The man exclaimed as he brushed the broken wood off himself. He was a heavy-set man, accompanied by a large mustache and eyebrows. "I am Professor Port, but you can call me Professor Port. Now, let's get right to it! Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night! All these have been used to name the Grimm, but I merely called them prey! Ha ha!" Nobody laughed. Somebody coughed in the silence. Port moved on without a care. "These creatures are known all over the world, reported on every single continent and ever between. The only places not invented with the horrid beasts of nightmares are Vale and the other Kingdoms, but do you know why?" Nobody answered. Somebody coughed again. "Because of people like me! And soon, people like you! I refer to, of course, the hunters!"

The professor was so boring, Jaune could already see Ruby nodding off, but Jaune wasn't tired or bored in the slightest. Well, he was, but Gamer's Mind took care of it. Instead of slacking, his only choice was to sit and pay attention.

"To protect every human being on all sides of the kingdom and beyond, that is the task of a hunter. You will need training though, knowledge, power, if you ever hope to make a change in people's lives. But first, a story." Port cleared his throat, and Jaune knew he was in for the long hall. "The story begins on a young and handsome boy, right on the brink of manhood. Me, of course! Back when I still lived in the village…"

Jaune listened, and he listened and he listened and he listened. Every word, Jaune absorbed. Every inappropriate and frankly weird detail, Jaune cringed at. It was hell, and he could only wish that it would be over soon. Only after the end of class bell rang, was his wish granted. Thankfully, it all paid off.

 **+1 WIS**

 **[OK]**

"And then- Oh. It seems I've gone over the designated time." The professor noticed, frowning. "That's too bad, I had something really special planned as well. Actually… Tell me children, is your next class with Ms. Goodwitch or Doctor Oobleck?" Someone shouted out Oobleck and Port's smile returned. "Oobleck? Good! His class is shit anyway. Stay in seat children, we have one more thing to do." Ignoring the groanings, Port continued with his lecture. This time, however, Jaune didn't pay attention as he was distracted by a popping noise.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Kill the Boarbatusk**

 **Objective One: Say you have the traits of a Hunter  
** **Objective Two: Defeat a Boarbatusk**

 **Optional Quest One: [UNKNOWN]**

 **Reward: +25 Lien, +20 EXP, +2 Bond with Ruby Rose, +1 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long and Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Optional Reward One: [UNKNOWN]**

 **Failure: Death  
** **Failure to accept Quest: -10 Bond with Weiss**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

So all he had to do to boost up his bonds a whole bunch was kill a single Boarbatusk? That didn't seem hard at all! From his basic understanding, Boarbatusks weren't that tough, ranging between a small Beowolf and medium Ursa in power. All things considered, he'd be able to pull that off no problem with a little bit of experience. And since there was no time limit, he'd be fine.

 **New Feature: Quest Time Limit  
** **This was actually a feature before, but luckily you thought of this before you were screwed over.  
**

 **Adds: Time limits on active quests. These time limits can either represent how long is left to complete the quest, or how long until the event of the quest happens. The time limit can be checked by going to the [QUEST] tab in the main menu.**

 **[OK]**

Jaune silently groaned, but once he saw there was no time limit added to the Boarbatusk quest, he accepted the quest. Almost as soon as he went back to listening to Port, the opportunity to complete his first objective came up.

"Now then. Does anyone here think they possess the traits of a true huntsman?"

"I do." Jaune spoke out instantly, raising his hand.

 **Objective Complete:  
** **Say you have the traits of a Hunter**

 **[OK]**

It took him a second to realize that the exact same words had been spoken by someone one row above him, Weiss. They looked to each other and the white haired girl sneered. sneered.

"Well, I wasn't expecting two people, but… Since you are both on the same team, you might as well use this as a team building exercise. Yeah, that sounds good… Anyway, go change into your battle gear, now!" As Jaune and Weiss hurried off to their lockers, Jaune wondered what exactly he got himself into.

* * *

They hadn't spoken to each other at all when in the locker room. Not that Jaune exactly tried, with Weiss being Weiss and all. As they walked back to the classroom though, Jaune felt the need to say at least something.

"So-" She cut him off instantly.

"Whatever this is, stay out of my way." And with that, the high strung heiress made it a point to walk faster than him. Jaune sighed and followed after her.

When they made it back to the classroom, a new object stood out to Jaune. A metal box, one that was shaking and making noise. As the two of them lined up opposite the box, Jaune pulling out his sword and shield, Weiss her rapier, the rest of team JWLR cheered them on. Or, well, Ruby cheered them on while Ren seemed completely uninterested sitting near Nora and Blake.

"You can do it guys!" The youngest member on the team tried to show her support.

"Thank's Ruby." Jaune responded right as Weiss did.

"Shut up!" The two girls scowled at each other. Then Weiss turned to him and he got a scowl of his own. Professor Port, ignoring the team banter, got the match started.

"Let the battle begin!" The elder hunter yelled in glee while swinging down his axe to open the cage. Immediately, the promised boarbatusk came charging out, causing the two fighters to jump to each side. In the brief respite, Jaune observed his foe.

 **Name: Urkle  
** **LV: 16 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Boarbatusk  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **HP: 1750/1750**

 **[OK]**

"Have any ideas?" Jaune asked hesitantly, trying to remember the stance Pyrrha had shown him just that morning. Was it left foot forward or right?

"Yeah, let me deal with it!" Weiss spit back harshly, charging to meet the furious Grimm head on. Jaune flinched as they came together, the ice queen's rapier sliding off the armoured skull and getting caught between the tusks.

"A new tactic, I like it!" The burly professor stated as Weiss struggled to get her weapon back. Jaune couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Seeing an opportunity though, Jaune, is all his heroic glory, slashed the non-plated side of Urkle, causing some decent damage.

 **HP: 1583/1750**

There was no popup, but Jaune knew he had hit a weak point when he did over a hundred damage in one blow. Instantly after the slash, the Boarbatusk jerked towards Jaune, causing Weiss' rapier to go flying and Jaune to now be taking the attention of the Grimm.

"You made me lose my weapon!" Weiss shouted indignantly. Not bothering to correct her that she lost her weapon, Jaune continued to focus on the beast in front of him. He had been managing to block most of Urkle's stabs, but just the sheer force of each blow was whittling down his aura. Jaune needed a plan, and fast.

"Go for it's belly!" Ruby shouted. "There's no plating there!" Weiss didn't find the advice helpful, obvious enough from her response, but something clicked in Jaune's mind right then.

"Weiss, get ready to stab it! I'm gonna flip it!" He yelled out an order to the heiress as she got to her rapier. Before she could protest, Jaune shoved away Urkle and dropped his weapons. In the next second, Jaune grabbed both tusks as tight as he could. And finishing his plan, he channeled aura into his legs, jumping over the Grimm and dragging it for a ride.

For a singular moment, Jaune felt the pain as his muscles strained themselves to deal with the weight of the creature. Aura was useful and all, but it apparently didn't help with internal problems like torn muscles. Both Jaune and the Boarbatusk landed on their backs with a slam. Jaune, too stunned to move, almost had a panic attack for the few seconds he didn't hear Urkle dying, but when he felt the tusks turn to dust, he knew Weiss had come through.

 **Objective Complete:  
** **Defeat a Boarbatusk**

 **[OK]**

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Kill the Boarbatusk**

 **Objective One Complete: Say you have the traits of a Hunter  
** **Objective Two Complete: Defeat a Boarbatusk**

 **Optional Quest One Failed: Get the final blow**

 **Failure Avoided: Death  
** **Optional Reward Avoided: +5 STR, +5 END, -1 Bond with Weiss Schnee**

 **Reward: +25 Lien, +20 EXP, +2 Bond with Ruby Rose, +1 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long and Pyrrha Nikos**

 **[OK]**

He had promised he would find a way to abuse the 'Jump' skill, and damn it, an Arc was a man of his word.

"Bravo! At first I thought your teamwork would be abysmal, but it seems I was clearly wrong. Already, the two of you have shown a true leader-subordinate bond. Congratulations!" When Port first started speaking, Weiss seemed to preen at the praise, but hearing his other comments made her fists curl. Jaune sighed. He had to work something out with her before things got even worse.

 **-2 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -12/200**

 **[OK]**

Like that.

* * *

When class let out soon after, Jaune was happy to hear all the words of praise from teams PBNY and JWLR. Or, he wanted to be, but he couldn't help watch as Weiss stormed off, not giving them the time of day.

"You did very well. The way you got Weiss to do as you said is a sign that you are a natural leader." Pyrrha pointed out. He heard the compliment, but that was the straw that broke the Grimm's back.

"Thank's everybody, but I've gotta go. You know, get changed for class and all." They all accepted his excuse, and he went to track down Weiss.

Eventually, he managed to caught up to her looking out on a balcony. The way the early morning light hit her form was stunning, and for a second, Jaune lost his breath. When it came back Jaune took notice of a scroll in her hand. Before he could come any closer, the elegant heiress took the device and chucked it right off the ledge to shatter on the ground below. Then she turned around.

"Wha- You!" Weiss closed the distance between them in an instant. "What did you see, what did you hear?!" He was taken aback by her intensity.

"Nothing! I just saw you throw your scroll away, that's it!" She glared for a few more seconds, trying to determine the truth of his statement. Eventually, she stepped back.

"Fine. What do you want then?"

"We need to talk." He demanded.

"No, we don't." She moved to step around him, but he shifted in front of her.

"Yes, we do." Internally, he was shocked at his own audacity. Before confronting her, he had thrown four skill points into Charisma, deciding that this was an emergency on it's own. Now that, combined with his luck, meant the two of them could have a conversation. "What's your problem with me? Why are you so mad that I am team leader? I didn't choose this position."

"My problem?! You want to know my problem? My problem is that undeserving scum like you can possible get a position like team leader! No, you didn't choose the position. It's even worse! You were given it at random! Clearly, Ozpin forgot who else was on Team JWLR, because I assure you, the position of team leader belongs to me." After processing that fierce response, Jaune had to think of something else.

"Well, we can't change things now. Why don't you just try to make the best of a bad situation instead of fighting me for a position you can't have." At this, Weiss' eyes lit up, and Jaune knew he somehow fucked up.

"Fight you… Yes, that's how we can settle this. We'll have a duel and the winner gets to be team leader." Jaune's eyes widened. This was not where he was expecting things to go.

"I'm… Not sure that's how this whole 'team leader' thing works. Plus, don't you think that if the teachers found out I was forced to give the team leader status to you, they wouldn't allow it to happen?" Remembering her devotion to education, he added another point. "Not to mention, we just started classes. When would we be able to schedule a fight that wouldn't conflict with our studies?" Weiss seemed to consider these things, and Jaune had thought he talked her down, but to no avail.

"We can fight at night, in the Emerald forest. And… In three weeks from now, we have a friday off, so we can fight then without conflicting with potentially study time."

 **Quest Available:  
** **Fight for Leadership**

 **Objective One: Beat Weiss Schnee in the fight**

 **Time: Three Weeks**

 **Reward: Ability to remain the leader of team JWLR**

 **Failure: Death/Loss of Leader status/[UNKNOWN]  
** **Failure to accept Quest: Death**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

This was getting ridiculous. At this point, he might as well give her the team leader status right now.

 **WARNING!  
** **Freely giving away team leader status will result in instant death**

 **[OK]**

Of course. His back was against the wall here, and as per usual, he had no other choice.

"Huff… Fine then. Let's do this."

* * *

 **Special Thanks to Macheddy and all the other reviews for helping we with lots of ideas to improve the story. As always, I'd love to hear any ideas that anyone has, so that I can make the best story possible.**

 **I considered writing the entirety of Port's story, but it would have taken up too much of the chapter and wouldn't be worth the laughs.**

 **I know it seems like the conflict between him and Weiss is going fast, but trust me, things won't get resolved that quickly.**

 **Now onto reviews.**

 **A lot of people were talking about the 'new game plus difficulty' so I wanted to just flesh some things out. The new game plus title refers to the fact that Jaune is going through the game over again, not that it's harder. The difficulty itself is much more like a 'custom difficulty' setting, like in some games where you can enable or disable options to make things harder or easier for yourself. I know right now, things seem super against Jaune, but that won't necessarily be the case every time.**

 **Another thing I saw a lot of was that I was being too harsh on Jaune. For anyone who thought that, I am sorry. I don't want this to be a 'bashing Jaune' story where he can't ever get things done and always looses no matter what. The thing is, it's hard to walk the line between too strong and too weak. Like in this chapter, example. Using his maxed out jump skill, Jaune flips over a Boarbatusk, which is within his defined skill set. Still though, when things like that occur, I worry that I'm making Jaune more powerful than he should be. There's no excuse for me not writing a character consistently or well, but I hope that you'll be able to forgive any mistakes I make.**

 **Anyway, that was about it for reviews. I'm sorry it's been so long, but I had a rough month. There's no point in getting into it, personal things, but I'm back now, and hopefully I can stay on top of these chapters.**

 **All reviews immensely appreciated, questions, comments, or other. Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	5. The Grind Part One

"Get up. Again." Pyrrha demanded as he fell to the ground for the twentieth time. Everyday since Weiss had challenged him, Jaune had been training with Pyrrha in the mornings. When he came to her the second time, he had been expecting to negotiate with her, as he doubted she would want him to take up her training time. But as it turned out, she seemed to be waiting for him, ready to train again. Instantly, she'd thrown him some practice equipment and started him in drills.

This was the fifth time they had met in a row, no breaks on the weekends. Not that Jaune needed the break, he was really milking Gamer's Body for everything it was worth. Undoubtedly, he would have been sore until he couldn't move had he done her training as a normal person. But he wasn't normal, so problem solved.

Jaune didn't get an increase in last longsword proficiency everytime he went, as he had hoped. Instead, like his experience points, the requirement for leveling up seemed to increase as he went along. After the third training session, he brought his skill up to LV4, which, if the pattern continued, meant that his next level up would be a during the seventh session. His shield proficiency was going the same, but at an even slower rate. By no means was this a bad thing, but Jaune still felt it to be too slow. At this rate, he'd never beat Weiss!

"Get up and pay attention this time." Pyrrha scolded, as he collapsed under the force of her blows yet again.

"Right. Sorry." Jaune apologized while scrambling up from the ground. He got into their practiced stance, but Pyrrha simply frowned. Jaune tried once more, this time checking his footwork, but still she didn't attack. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Ah- Nothing. My bad. Just got distracted, is all." Jaune nodded and made no comment, not wanting to push the issue. Whatever issue it was.

 **You Detect a Lie  
** **[OK]**

Wow. Really helpful game. That's like calling someone a liar when they respond 'fine' to 'how are you?' Of course they are! There's no reason to point it out, he wasn't that stupid. Getting off his tangent, Jaune remembered something that he wanted to bring up today.

"Pyrrha, instead of continuing with these drills, do you think you could… Teach me some 'special moves?'" While thinking of ways to get new skills, Jaune had thought of a solid theory. If he could improve skills by training with people, could he learn skills by training with people? There was only one way to find out, and luckily, he trained with the strongest fighter in the school on a daily basis. Surely she was bound to have something up her sleeve, right?

"Well…" Uh-oh. That wasn't a good sign. "I don't mean to be rude, but…" It was all over, wasn't it? "I'm not sure that you're… 'At that level' yet." She explained as delicately as possible. Jaune sighed, his plan, crushed into dust. The worst thing was, she was right. At least, from an outsider's perspective. Could he say, 'Oh, don't worry. My life is a game, so I should be able to learn the skill without a problem?' Yes, he could. But did he want the only person who was helping him improve think that he was crazy? No, he didn't. So instead, he just held his tongue and tried to come up with something else.

"How about something with aura?" He asked. Pyrrha went to repeat herself, but Jaune quickly clarified. "It doesn't have to be anything advanced! I… I actually only got my aura unlocked during the initiation by Ren. All I know how to do so far is jump."

"Hmm. I bet I can think of something." As she brainstormed some ideas for him, Jaune took a second to ponder what he had just admitted.

Jaune had indirectly told her that he made it into Beacon without any aura and an abysmal fighting style. If that didn't raise some flags, Jaune didn't know what did. With Ren, he trusted that information would be safe because, in all honesty, his partner did not care about him in the slightest. With Pyrrha though, this amazing fighter who earned her way into the school, the fact that she didn't say anything about it was astounding. Reflecting on it, she never asked him anything about his past, and never once questioned why he was so bad at fighting. And from their shared classes, he knew she wasn't dumb, so there was no way she couldn't put two and two together. All of this just begged the question, why didn't she do anything? Or at the very least, why did she still help him?

The team leader's musings were cut off, however, when Pyrrha finally came up with something.

"Oh! I know exactly what you should learn." The red haired champion interrupted his thoughts with slight excitement. "I'm guessing you haven't done any aura channeling?"

"Nope."

"Good, because that's the perfect place to start. Now, sit down with your legs criss-cross." She switched back into teacher mode and Jaune did what he was told. Weapons put to the side, she sat across from him. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing." Jaune chuckled at this.

"What? Am I a meditating now?" She responded with a look of disapproval rather than humor, prompting him to shut his eyes. "Right, sorry."

"Try to remember the feeling of when your aura was unlocked, the overwhelming power, the feeling that nothing could ever stop you." Pyrrha instructed. Jaune did just that, quickly realizing the feeling Pyrrha was trying to express. It was here, that he started tuning her out. Not to be mean, but because he didn't need to hear any more.

The feeling started as a strong presence within his core, and from there, everything came naturally. First, from his legs, as his jump skill ensured aura was there. Then, it moved upwards and into his arms, tingling the tips of his fingers. Finally, it reached his head, causing him to flinch back at the sheer power.

 _ **POP! POP! POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP!**_

 _ **POP!**_

Opening his eyes, Jaune was graced with the sight of what must've been hundreds of pop-ups. Among them, two stood out.

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Aura  
** **[OK]**

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Aura Channeling  
** **[OK]**

As far as Jaune could tell, the rest of the pop-ups were menus telling him he'd leveled up Aura Channeling to maximum. Jaune's jaw dropped. This- This couldn't be possible! Surely the game was playing a joke on him. There was no way it'd let a skill come to him that easily, right? He waited a few seconds, but nothing came up. Suddenly, Jaune grew a very large smile.

"Jaune? Did it work?" Jaune heard Pyrrha ask him. That was when he realized that he was unable to see her due to all of the pop-ups. If he didn't find a way to get rid of the quickly, it would really hinder his ability to talk with Pyrrha.

Instantly, all of the menus disappeared and Jaune was left with the beautiful redhead staring at him curiously. Jaune couldn't tell whether it was him thinking about removing the menus, or his comment that it would hinder him that triggered the sudden cleaning of his view, but that didn't matter too much right now.

"Yeah…" Jaune said, a little breathy. "I think I mastered it."

"I thought you would." At this, Jaune puffed his chest out a bit.

"So, what does it do?" The desire in his voice was palpable. He needed to know what his new powers brought him. How else could he start abusing them? Haha! This was it, the skill that leveled the playing field. The skill that put him a cut above the rest. And this was only the beginning! Soon he would gain more and more power, increasing level after level, skill after-

"Nothing." She stated simply, completely derailing his train of thought.

"Huh?"

"It doesn't actually do anything."

"Bu- But- I'm so good at it!" He pouted. She laughed slightly.

"Like I said, I thought you would be. The technique is usually taught to kids in school, just learning to use their aura. Considering you've already used yours, it made sense that this would come easy to you." Jaune spluttered, trying to wrap his mind around this new information while simultaneously picking up the pieces of his shattered confidence.

"Then what was the point of me learning it?"

"Now you'll be able to more easily learn other things with aura. The technique allows you to move your aura throughout your entire body, better allowing you to take advantage of it." No. That couldn't be it. There had to be a way he could abuse this.

"What if… What if I channeled a bunch of aura into my legs before doing a jump? Would the jump be more powerful?" She smiled sympathetically, and he knew all was lost.

"I asked that same question when I learned how to do it, but no. It wouldn't help. The jump is still going to take the same amount of aura it always did, scaling on the height, and channeling aura there just means it will be a more immediate effect. But in the long run, it's actually worse to do that than just jumping instinctively, as the concentration needed to keep the aura channeled in your legs, waiting for an opportunity to use it, wouldn't be practical in a survival situation." Jaune blinked at how technical everything she said sounded. It was almost like…

"How do you know all that? Are you in a videogame or something?" At that, she raised an eyebrow.

"Aura isn't that mysterious of a topic, Jaune. Sure we don't know where it comes from, but scientists have studied for years trying to learn how it works. I'm just quoting all that stuff from a research paper I read on the topic." Jaune looked downcast and Pyrrha once again laughed. "Come on now, don't be like that. Let's go for our run, that'll cheer you up."

The run she was referring to was yet another part of their daily routine. It was a cooldown run, around Beacon then back to the dorms to get ready for breakfast and wake up their teams. Neither of them actually needed it, since Jaune didn't get sore with Gamer's Body, and Pyrrha was barely working herself out during the sessions, but they did it anyway. Regardless of why the champion felt the need to run, Jaune saw it as an opportunity to get to know Pyrrha. Despite their bond being raised everyday, he didn't actually know much about her. As he said before, they avoided conversations about the past, which meant that their runs mostly consisted of matters of opinion, like 'favorite color' and such. This time, however, he was feeling risky.

"Why is it you wanted to be a huntress, Pyrrha?" Jaune inquired as they jogged side by side. This almost certainly had to deal with her past, but there was still the off chance that she did it for the thrill, or something non past-related like that. And then, of course, there was the chance that it dealt with her past and she told him anyway, but despite his stats, he doubted he would get that lucky.

"I…" She faltered and he already knew he messed up. "I always wanted to be like the cool people on TV, you know? The fame, power, respect. I wanted that."

 **You Detect a Lie  
** **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up A Skill!  
** **Detect Lie LV: 2**

The sheer obviousness of the lie was emphasized by the level up, but even without the skill, Jaune would be able to tell. Oh well. It looked like he had a few skills to catch up on once he had a chance to go to the bathroom.

Thinking about it, perhaps asking her to open up first wasn't the greatest move. Perhaps he needed to get things going.

'For me, it started young." Jaune began, unprompted. "I can't remember exactly when, but it doesn't really matter, I was bullied no matter what the age. I wasn't the strongest kid in school, as you can tell, and my awkwardness with people didn't help, so I guess I was kinda destined to be the bullied kid." He shook his head, paused, then continued.

"Regardless, I can't remember their faces, but with how many there were over the years, it's hard to. Boys and girls, humans and faunus, older kids, and hell, even some younger ones. For the most part, I ignored it, but I always feared that one day, I would snap and get people hurt in the process. But you wanna know what happened?" Jaune asked rhetorically. Before Pyrrha could say anything, he started talking again.

"I just didn't. In fact, as time went on, I started to feel the opposite. Instead of wanted to hurt the kids who hurt me, I wanted to help them. I wanted to make them better. How that led to me being a hunter instead of a psychiatrist, I don't exactly know, but I'm here now, so I might as well make the best of it." They shared a laugh and Pyrrha blinked at the sudden response.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 10/200  
** **[OK]**

"That's very inspiring Jaune… And it probably doesn't mean much, but I'll help you be a good hunter. Only if you need my help, obviously."

"Thank you Pyrrha. I'll see you at breakfast." Jaune said his farewells with a smile, as they had made it to their dorms.

"See you." Their doors closed with a quiet thud, and Jaune's smile instantly dropped as he stared at a specific menu that had appeared right after his story was finished.

 **You successfully Lied  
** **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up A Skill!  
** **Lie LV: 2  
[OK]**

Had he? He wasn't meaning to, he was just saying what felt natural to him. What part about that was a lie though? He'd been bullied in school, and now he wanted to help people get better. That wasn't a lie. Ignoring the fact that he couldn't quite remember the name of his previous school, or the bullies that were in it, Jaune couldn't come up with any inconsistencies in his tale to Pyrrha.

But if that wasn't why he wanted to be a hunter, what was?

* * *

By the time he had sat down with his food, Ruby was already halfway through her's. As per their routine they had unknowingly crafted over the last few days, Jaune sat next to Ruby on the end of the table, while Blake, Nora, and Ren were on the other half, and Weiss did her own thing. Where as before, he was a little sad that Weiss didn't eat with the team, after their 'arrangement,' he was very thankful for it. Having to deal with her in classes was… Well… Jaune was sure he'd get a taste by the end of the day.

"Jeez Ruby. How do you survive on that?" He questioned the petite huntress. Her plate consisted of chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate milk, and five chocolate chip cookies, assuming she hadn't already scarfed some down. "You sure do like your chocolate, huh?"

"Hey! Don't diss the chocolate. I need the sugar, or else I'd pass out right after using my semblance."

"Yeah, but there are other types of energy. Maybe you should eat foods with more protein." Eyeing up her small figure, he added with a smile, "Goodness knows you need the muscle."

"Hey!" Ruby cried indignantly. "Are saying I'm not strong?" At this, Jaune laughed.

"Ruby, with the way you carry that scythe around, no sane human could ever claim you weren't strong." Her cheeks reddened slightly and she looked away, a grin on her face.

"Well, at least I eat. You only eat when people remind you to. And even then, barely a thing." Now it was Jaune's turn to blush.

"I'm just not hungry…" He muttered while putting a piece of pancake in his mouth, causing Ruby to giggle.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 15/200  
** **[OK]**

At this, he grew content. Regardless of his troubles with Weiss or his unsteady friendship with Pyrrha, Ruby remained a constant source of friendship no matter what. Over the past few days, his bond with her, and by proxy her sister, had done nothing but go up. In contrast, Weiss' bond had done nothing but go down, not to anyone's surprise though.

Speaking of Yang, Jaune happened to notice a distinct lack of her presence when Pyrrha sat to eat. After the customary polite greetings, Jaune inquired about this.

"Where's Yang? I haven't seen her anywhere today." He asked his fellow team leader about the blonde bombshell.

"She's sleeping in." Pyrrha responded curtly, her distaste evident.

"It's because she was out last night partying." Ruby picked up where Pyrrha left off. "Yang and all her friends finally managed to get together and go out for a night on the town."

"Is she okay?" Jaune questioned with concern. Ruby just waved him off.

"Oh yeah. It happens all the time, she'll be back to normal by tomorrow. Now, if she had somehow binged of Uncle Qrow's supply, then we'd have a problem." The reaper explained away his concerns with ease.

"How would we know if she did that?" Hearing this, Ruby laughed nervously.

"Well… Let's just say, there'd be a lot of 'smoke' in Vale, you know?" Jaune, in fact, did not know, but Pyrrha came in before he could ask Ruby to clarify.

"That's not right." Pyrrha admonished her absent partner. "We're huntresses, we have a responsibility to the people." Ruby's eyes narrowed, and Jaune immediately sensed that things were turning south.

"What's that supposed to mean? Yang can't have a little fun?"

"Ruby, she came back to the room at one o'clock and can barely stand an open window. That is not fun, that's unhealthy."

"She's fine. Like I said, things could be worse." Ruby insisted. Pyrrha just shook her head.

"You're too young to understand." Okay! That was it! Jaune had to step in before someone, Ruby, got hurt.

"I-"

"Aaaahhhh!" Instantly he was cut off by the scream of Nora, and all attention went to her. "It kills me to think about the two of you facing off today. Who would I root for? Aaaarrrgh! I'm so torn!" With that, the tension was gone, and Ruby and Pyrrha gave each other apologetic looks. Diplomatically, Ruby changed the subject.

"Anyway… Nora's right. Today we'll have another round of matches in Ms. Goodwitch's class. Who hasn't gone yet?" She asked the table, but mainly herself. "Jaune, Ren, Weiss, Y- Wait. Am I the only one of Team JWLR to have fought yet?"

"Yup." Jaune confirmed. Instantly, Ruby started pouting.

"And I lost! How humiliating!" The young huntress-in-training was being a little dramatic, but that seemed to be her thing from what Jaune gathered.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Jaune consoled, patting her back. "If it hadn't been for Crescent Rose jamming, you would have wiped the floor with that guy." Just as fast as she started pouting, Ruby cheered up.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 16/200  
** **[OK]**

"Thanks, leader." Ruby said happily. "But as I was saying, who do you think will be fighting today?"

"Well, there are six people left for the first round of fights, and three rounds of one on ones, so it's more a matter of 'who fights who,' rather than 'who is fighting.'" Pyrrha educated the small huntress across from her.

"Oh yeah. So, there's the three from my team, Yang and Blake from your team, who else is there?"

"I think it was a guy called Cardin. He's a team captain, I think." Jaune tried to recall. Suddenly, Ruby gained a wicked grin to her face.

"Do you think you'll fight Yang, Jaune?" She asked, humor in her eyes.

"I doubt it." Jaune responded, unconcerned. Then his eyes widened. "I just jinxed myself, didn't I?" Ruby cackled with faux madness, Pyrrha smiled, and Jaune groaned.

* * *

"You can do it Renny! Kick his ass!" Nora shouted from the stands as the ninja in question dodged yet another attack from Cardin's mace.

"Language, Ms. Valkyrie." Ms. Goodwitch scolding, turning back to the match with a sigh. With Cardin out of the roster, this meant Jaune could face off against either Blake or Yang, and he really wasn't sure which would be worse. Probably Yang.

"Just keep tiring him out, he'll have to quit eventually." Jaune yelled some more tactical advice to his partner. It might've sounded dumb to shout fighting advice during a fight, but Cardin seemed to be too tired to register anything more than the match.

"Stop flipping away, you slippery ninja!" The bulky team leader shouted in exhaustion as Ren dodged yet another strike. The fact that he managed to hold out this long actually impressed Jaune. The fight had been going on for twenty straight minutes, and since Ms. Goodwitch refused to call it until someone was in the red, it looked like they had a long way to go. Both combatants were still in the green, only Cardin's had wore down any.

"Just finish him off already!" Blake yelled vindictively. The usually quiet girl seemed oddly invested in the outcome of this match. Hmm. Maybe she had grown tired of hearing Cardin's grunts over and over again, or maybe… She liked Ren like he liked her. That was way too many 'likes' for a sentence, but still. Jaune would have to talk to Ren about his apparent crush on the girl in black. Guys had to stick together and all that, not to mention, he was Jaune's partner and they barely spoke a word to each other. Their bond hadn't even changed since the first day of classes! Lost in thought, Jaune almost missed the ending of the fight.

As Cardin swung for the hundredth time, Ren didn't dodge. Instead, the stoic hunter caught the mace with one hand and smirked. Then, with a single kick, Cardin went flying, aura brought all the way to the red.

Jaune was stunned at Ren's display of power. Was he really that strong, or was there something else in play? Ren kicked Cardin in the stomach, but Cardin was wearing armour, so it shouldn't have been a weak spot. Had it been Cardin's exhaustion, somehow weakening the strength of his aura? It sure seemed like it, but there was nothing in the game that signified exhaustion. Oh no.

 **New Feature: Exhaustion  
** **Are you feeling tired of this gimmick yet? You should be.  
** **Adds: Exhaustion bar underneath the Health Bar. Same Observe rules apply. You now get tired.  
** **[OK]**

Before Jaune could berate himself and accept his fate as being worse off in life, something… Strange… Happened.

 **Gamer's Body has nullified the status effect:  
** **Exhaustion  
** **[OK]**

 **No it hasn't. You are now feeling exhausted.  
** **[OK]**

 **Yes it has. Gamer's Body has nullified the status effect:  
** **Exhaustion  
** **[OK]**

 **No it haSwhbeiqhb #T$ & T$)*  
** **[$%#*$ &( (] [ )!# &$(]**

 **Error. Reloading. May take a few minutes.  
** **[OK]**

As his life literally rebooted itself, Jaune witnessed the post game talk between Ren and Cardin.

Clutching his injured stomach, Cardin picked himself off the ground and walked towards his former opponent.

"Wow, you really did a number on me. Good fight." He extended his hand out to Ren. The ninja stared at it for a moment, then shook it firmly.

"You did well, but you must focus on more than raw strength." Ren surprisingly offered some advice. Not hearing Ren's quiet comment, Ms. Goodwitch also offered advice.

"You did well, Mr. Winchester, but raw strength will only take you so far. As we have clearly seen." Hearing this, Cardin laughed allowed at the coincidence.

"I guess so. No denying that! Haha!"

He and Ren left the battle area, while the teacher rolled for a new battle. Jaune crossed his fingers and hoped that he would get lucky. As to what that meant, he didn't exactly know, but he hoped for it anyway.

 _ **Ding! Ding!**_

The electronic dings signaled that the combatants were set, and Ms. Goodwitch cleared her throat.

"Weiss Schnee versus, Blake Belladonna." Jane groaned and Ruby snickered next to him at his misfortune.

The two huntresses didn't waste anytime getting to the arena. It seemed Blake was certainly eager today. She even glared at Cardin when she passed by him, but the leader of Team CRDL didn't seem to notice.

As they jumped into the stands, the two situated themselves opposite each other. Before the match began, Weiss scanned the crowd and found Jaune. She said nothing, and made no hand gestures, but Jaune got the message. Weiss was going to destroy him like she was about to destroy Blake. He flinched and looked away, not knowing that this made her smile vindictively.

While this occurred, Blake simply unsheathed her sword and got into her fighting stance. There was no grin on her face, but Jaune could almost detect a weird type of happiness in Blake's eyes. It was the same type of happiness that Jaune saw from Ms. Goodwitch at the cliffs, the spine chilling kind.

"Begin." The professor announced.

Blake started off the fight with an out of character charge. Or at least Jaune thought it was out of character, he hadn't actually seen her fight much before this. Weiss responded equally as fast with a glyph summon, blocking Blake and causing her to jump away before she was hit with Ice dust. After two more tries of this tactic, Blake switched things up.

Changing her weapon to gun form, the two had a quick firefight between each other. Being the first one to land a hit, Blake reigned supreme, using the opportunity to close the gap as she wanted to beforehand. It seemed that at close range, Blake had the advantage, and Nora's partner was able to get in a few blows before Weiss glyph-boosted herself away. At the same time, she used a second glyph right where she was previously standing, trapping Blake's sword arm in the sudden ice.

Obviously, Weiss capitalized on the disabled Blake, firing off some shots from her rapier. It didn't last too long though, as Blake's figure suddenly turned dark like a shadow which disappeared when it was shot. Weiss stopped shooting to look around, but was too late to sense Blake's surprise attack, which only consisted of his sheath. A weapon on its own, it seemed.

"Blake's semblance is… Teleportation?" Jaune murmured, trying to replay the scene in his mind. It looked to be, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe if he asked nicely later on she would tell. Until then, Jaune would have to simply observe. Which still wasn't responding, by the way.

"Beat the crap out of her, Blake-y! You don't need your sword!" Nora once again shouted her support from the stands. This time, however, Ms. Goodwitch made no comment on Nora's language, as she seemed too caught up in the fight to notice. Looking at the board, Jaune could tell why, since both Weiss and Blake still had just over half their aura left.

The fight continued for another several minutes before finally coming to a head when each of the combatants were exhausted. Weiss had long since ran out of dust crystals for her glyphs and bullets for her rapier, while Blake lost the other side of her weapon to the ice. If Blake was bothered that she didn't have a weapon, she didn't show it. So, without a weapon, Blake charged.

Weiss raised her sword and a glyph met Blake in midair. Bouncing off, Blake met another one and another one, until one final one smashed her to the ground. Blake was in the red, the match was over. Ms. Goodwitch announced the victor, and Weiss collapsed right after, panting.

Nora happily threw Blake over her shoulder to go to the nurse, and Ruby reluctantly helped Weiss stand. As she wobbled past, Weiss smirked at Jaune, a fire in her icy eyes. The message was clear, she was gonna end him. At least, if Yang didn't first. Before he could become lost in his thoughts of despair, a familiar pop sounded in front of him.

 **New Feature: Exhaustion (V2)  
** **After careful deliberation, we've come to an agreement.  
** **Adds: Enemies and Allies now feel exhaustion if they fight for too long or suffering from a lack of energy, lowering the effectiveness of their aura. You are not affected, however now there is nothing to signify exhaustion on the opponent besides bodily cues.**

 **[OK]**

Well, that was one thing in his advantage. He'd make it work. Hopefully.

* * *

"Jaune Arc versus Yang Xiao-Long" Ms. Goodwitch announced to no one's surprise. Deciding to arm himself with the Scythe or Destiny, because he hadn't used it that much, Jaune jumped out of the stands and into the arena. Gotta love that 'no fall damage.'

While mentally preparing himself for the beat down, a quest appeared, just as he suspected it would.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Defeat Yang Xiao-Long**

 **Objective One: Beat Yang Xiao-Long in the fight**

 **Time: Five Minutes**

 **Reward: +15 STR, +15 END, +10 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, +3 Bond with everyone in the audience**

 **Failure: Severe Injury (Possible Death), -3 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, -1 Bond with everyone in the audience  
** **Failure to accept Quest: Minor Injury, +1 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long/A win, +1 Bond with Yang, +2 STR, +2 END**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

Huh. No threat of death this time. Well, there was, but not explicitly. Maybe the game rebooting had changed more than just the Exhaustion feature. Regardless, Jaune was going to decline the quest. As tempting as it was, Jaune didn't want to risk the severe injury. Sure, it wasn't death, but Weiss' quest ended in possible death and Jaune didn't want to know what happened if he ran out of time. Not to mention, he got plus one Bond with Yang for denying the quest no matter what, so it wasn't completely horrible.

After declining the quest, Jaune felt slightly better about the fight. At least now he knew it wouldn't end in too much pain regardless of who won. Even still, Yang had yet to show up. The students began to murmur and Ms. Goodwitch looked annoyed.

"I said, Yang Xiao-Long." She announced once more, to yet again no response. "Yang Xiao-Long." A pause. Nothing. "Has anyone seen Ms. Xiao-Long to-" The doors to the arena from the locker room was smashed open, revealing Nora carrying a disheveled and groaning Yang.

"I found her, Ms. Goodwitch!" The bubbly Valkyrie exclaimed with glee. "Where should I put her?" The teacher blinked at this, but resigned herself to the situation she was in.

"Right there is fine." And with that, Nora dropped Yang to the ground, the blonde moaning in protest.

"Oh! And you'll probably want these." Nora added, pulling out Yang's pair of gauntlets and throwing them to the floor next to her and Yang dragged herself up. "Good Luck!" Nora told him, glancing at his scythe. Her eyes didn't seem to have the same mirth her voice did, but Jaune had more important things to worry about.

"Ugh… Head hurts…" Yang complained, arming herself.

"Well, the next time your head hurts," Ms. Goodwitch berated, with a fake smile. "Go to the nurse instead of skipping class. Now enough with the whining. You're a huntress, act like it."

Yang grumbled, but forced herself into a battle stance. Seeing how out of it she was, Jaune berated himself for not accepting the quest. As he thought this, Yang finally recognized him.

"Oh. Jaune? Well then, this'll be easy." Yang spoke with a confidence that hurt his pride.

"I wouldn't be so sure Yang, I might not be the toughest, but you're certainly not at the top of your game today." Jaune reasoned with her. Yang just laughed, before wincing at her headache.

"Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"What weapon are you using?"

"A scythe."

"And what weapon does Ruby, my sister who I've fought for years, use?"

"A scythe, but I don't see what this- Oh." Jaune's eyes widened, and he looked to the weapon in his hands like it had betrayed him.

"Yeah. I may be hungover, and have just the worst migraine right now. But even with all that, and only one arm, I could still beat a scythe user."

"Begin." Goodwitch declared for the final time that day.

"Mercy?" Jaune asked.

"Sure, I'll make this quick." Yang replied, charging with glowing hair and red eyes. "Rrraaaarrgh!" She screamed as a battle cry.

 **Name: Yang Xiao-Long  
** **LV: 42 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Molotov Cocktail**

 **HP: 4200/4200  
** **AP: 2900/2900**

Molotov Cocktail, huh? Anyway. After checking her stats, Jaune's first idea had been to exhaust her. Considering she was hungover, it didn't seem like much of a task. However, Yang was not in the mood for cat and mouse games today, closing any distance that he brought between them.

Had he his sword and shield, Jaune might've been able to make an occasional pot shot, but all he had was this stupid scythe, which for all he knew made Yang even stronger when cut. Jaune had to wonder why he thought it would be a good idea to experiment with weaponry against Yang of all people. Had his intelligence gone back to normal when the game was rebooting? He couldn't be sure, but it definitely seemed so.

His thoughts were cut off, when he was forced to dodge yet another punch from Yang, causing him to scream like a buff man. Okay, that was a lie. He sounded like a little school girl, but give him a break, he was stressed.

You can't run forever!" Yang said in a sing-songy voice. "Are you even gonna try to attack me?"

"If I stop running, you beat me!" Jaune yelled back, continuing to run.

"Aww… What happen to all that confidence from before?"

"I think you punched it into the ground somewhere around here!" She snickered, but winced as all the noise and motion final registered in her brain.

Was it a dick move to take advantage of hangover to get in an attack? Definitely. Did Jaune care at the moment? Absolutely not.

He struck at her upper arm, surprised by how little resistance he met. Expecting some sort of aura countermeasure, Jaune had aimed fairly high in his blow, only causing a shallow cut on the skin.

 **HP: 4145/4200  
** **AP: 2900/2900**

To Jaune's displeasure, Yang's aura hadn't moved in the slightest. Her health though… This scythe sure did know how to surprise him.

"You little… Attack a girl while she's down? Now that's just rude." Yang growled at him lightheartedly.

"And attacking a boy while he's up isn't?" Jaune rebuffed. Yang shook her head, standing tall.

"Oh you're gonna get it-! Huh?" Jaune simply watched as Yang jerked her arms around, as if hoping to accomplish something. "What the…?"

"Are you okay?" He asked his opponent.

"My semblance…" She muttered. "Why isn't it working…?"

Hold the scroll. Did he hear that correctly? Did his scythe-

"Whatever." As Jaune was trying to register what she had said, Yang had gotten her bearings and was now only feet away. When Jaune looked up to see her coming, it was too late. Consider his nose, broken.

Damn! That fucking hurt! At least, for half a second it did, until Gamer's Body kicked in. In that time frame, though, Jaune was able to reevaluate all his life choices and determine where he went wrong. A surprise to no one, that place was right here, beings, slammed into a wall by a hungover Yang.

 **HP: 186/200 (+20 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 435/1600 (+20 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 160/160 (+10 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

And just as he was thinking about how special his scythe was for going through Aura. She punched him so hard his aura couldn't even absorb it all! Vaguely, he wondered if how much a punch from Weiss would take away from his health. Hopefully less than three fourths, like Yang, or he'd be dead by the second hit. Speaking of which, he was about to die.

"Yang!" Jaune shouted while ducking under another punch. "I think we should stop now, you win."

"Come on, Jaune. We barely even started. You only hit me once! Try a bit more, and maybe we can stop." Yang said, a familiar tone to her voice that signified she was just about done feeling her hangover. Could huntsmen even do that? Well if any could, it would certainly be Yang. It seemed that since now she was back in the game, she wanted to actually fight. Taking another look at his health, Jaune decided that wasn't an option.

"Once was all I could bring myself to do! I'd rather die a thousand deaths than hurt you anymore!" He declared to her with some sort of romantic accent one would see in the movies. Yang actually stopped from sheer confusion, then cracked up.

"You're ridiculous, Jaune. Fine, we'll call the match here. But next time, you're gonna give me a good fight, alright?"

"Of course." Hopefully.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 8/200  
** **[OK]**

* * *

After listening to Ms. Goodwitch's helpful criticism, basically her telling him that he sucked, Jaune made his way to the nurse's office at Pyrrha's orders. His nose didn't hurt at all, but according to her, it was crooked and swollen. Aura could only do so much, he needed someone to put things back in place.

The thing Jaune has come to realize about his passive skills was that they didn't activate instantly. They were certainly quick, but not immediate. This presented itself as a problem when he asked for no pain killers before the nurse put his nose in place so it could heal properly. If being punched in the nose was a five on the pain scale, having your nose snapped in place was a solid seven. A few expletives later, Jaune was sent on his way with an ice pack in toe.

He was barely past the door when he spotted Ruby just across the hall, leaning on the wall. Crescent Rose was in her hand, and she was pouring over it, piece after piece. She didn't even notice he was there until he coughed and announced his presence.

"Oh, hi Jaune." Ruby greeted him.

"Hey Ruby. What are you still doing here? You left to bring Weiss here twenty minutes ago."

"I'm waiting for Weiss." The reaper explained, slugging her scythe onto her back.

"I thought you didn't like Weiss." Jaune remarked. Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I don't. But Weiss said I wasn't a good partner, so I'm waiting for her to get out of the nurse to prove her wrong."

"Well… I hate to break it to you, but Weiss is gone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she isn't in the nurse's office. She must've snuck past you when you were working on your weapon." Ruby stared at him blankly for a few seconds before growling.

"Grr… I can't stand her, thinking that she's better than everyone, acting like she owns the place. What's even her deal? You try to be nice and, Bam! She throws it back in your face."

"If it's any consolation, I think you're a good partner for staying and waiting."

"I appreciate it, but I wish my partner did too." This time, there was no bond up like Jaune was expected. Maybe Ruby just wasn't in the mood. Regardless, there was a second thing he wanted to talk to her about after he saw her tinkering with Crescent Rose.

"Say… Ruby?" This had to be subtle, for arousing suspicion could mean an icee death.

"Yeah?"

"You said that my scythe was extremely well made, right?" She tilted her head.

"I don't think so, but probably something along those lines. It is well made." She confirmed.

"Well, seeing you fiddle with your own weapon, I was wondering if you'd want to take a look at mine. Maybe get some ideas for your next version." Just as some extra oomph, Jaune took the scythe off his belt and held it out to her. Instantly, she had it fully extended in her hands, entranced once more by its design. Jaune's plan was working.

"If you'd let me, I'd love to!" She agreed, taking in the weapon like it was the best thing on the planet. Then she paused. "What's the catch?"

"Well… Admittedly, I'm not very good with a scythe. Nothing like you. So I was hoping you'd be able to train me a bit after classes." As an afterthought, he added, "Only if you want." At this, Ruby giggled.

"Jaune, you don't need to bribe me to help you out. We're teammates!" Ruby explained, causing Jaune to scratch the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Oh yeah. Well, the same here then. You can have my scythe anytime. Just ask first."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 17/200  
** **[OK]**

There was a lull in the conversation. Jaune could actually spot the exact moment the damning question was asked.

"Not that I care, but… Why are you asking me now? As opposed to any other time, I mean."

"Uhh…" Jaune's mind failed him. He didn't want to lie to Ruby, but at the same time, he didn't want to be murdered by Weiss. "No reason." Ruby frowned.

"Did you just lie to me?"

"Umm… No?"

 **-20 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: -3/200  
** **[OK]**

Nope! He couldn't do this. Getting killed by Weiss was one thing, but seeing Ruby's devastated face was just too much. Her eyes welled up, and her frown became even larger. It was like he was staring directly at a puppy, one that he just kicked.

"Alright! I'm sorry! I'll tell you the truth, just don't cry." He pleaded her. She said nothing, the tears still threatening to escape. Why was this girl so emotional? "The short of it is, Weiss kinda maybe challenged me to a fight for the right to be leader and I accepted and now we're going to fight in three weeks and I'm gonna lose without your help!" He took a breath. "I'm sorry for lying, but I was afraid Weiss would kill me if word got out. Saying that, please don't tell anyone or else I might be murdered in my sleep."

"Oh."

"Yup." Slowly, her surprised look formed into that of a smile.

 **+18 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 15/200  
** **[OK]**

"So, just to get this straight. If you lose, Weiss Schnee becomes the leader of Team JWLR?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that is not happening. Not on my watch." Her smile turned into a grin and raced to the end of the hallway, his scythe still in hand. "Training starts now!" She yelled. "Let's go!"

So… Scythe training involved chasing down a huntress with a speed semblance?

This might be more difficult than Pyrrha's training!

* * *

 **Special thanks to Macheddy and CausallyPosting for being my awesome betas. As well as thanks to everyone who reviewed to give me advice on how to improve. Every review makes this story just a little better.**

 **There seemed to be one thing prevalent in the reviews, the constant Death failure. So, obviously, I changed that this chapter. There will still be a lot of death failure quests, but every now and then Jaune will get a break.**

 **As for the skills and unique mechanics, I'll be showing off some new stuff in the next chapter that will change things up a bit. But besides that, just wait until his fight with Weiss, then we'll get into some new stuff.**

 **That's about it, not many criticisms this time around, but that's fine. Regardless of the content, I love every review.**

 **Reviews always welcome, and until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	6. The Grind Part Two

Diplomacy seemed to be a hit or miss for Jaune. Sometimes it would make things better for him, such as being able to deal with Yang's brash nature. Other times, though, trying to talk things out would only make things worse. *cough* Weiss *cough* With the odds certainly not in his favor, any normal person would give up hope and try to find a different way. Not Jaune, however. He was determined not to give up.

Why? Well… It may or may not have been due to the fact that he didn't really have anything else to do. Fight? He'd get his ass kicked. Do nothing? He'd get his ass kicked. Run? He'd probably be murdered for that one. So with the duel with Weiss approaching ever closer, and his chances of winning diminishing by the day, here Jaune was, about to have a nice chat with his favorite teammate.

Sure, the last… Every… Time they talked, the outcome was less than desirable, but that was just because he wasn't prepared. His lunchtime talks with Yang had earned his a nice 3 CHA, and Jaune then used his skill points to round the stat to an even twenty. Now he was ready. Would it be enough to placate the dreaded Ice Queen? Probably not. But would he try? Damn straight!

"Weiss-" The pending team leader began, only to be cut off immediately. Once again, Jaune managed to get Weiss alone. Considering her lack of friends, it actually wasn't that much of a challenge.

"Not this again." The heiress complained, looking to get away. Jaune glared and she sighed. "Fine, what do you want?"

"We need to talk."

"One week until the duel, we can talk after I beat you." Weiss offered confidently. Jaune hid his shiver of fear well.

"That's what I want to talk about. You know I don't want to fight you."

"And you know that I don't care. What's your point? Are you… Backing out on our deal?" When she asked the second question her hands curled to fists.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

"No no no," Jaune reassured quickly. "I just want to discuss it to see if we can come to a better agreement, like one that doesn't involve us fighting." This was starting to end up like all the other conversations. Jaune needed to change things up if he wanted a chance at compromise. "Why is it that we're fighting again?"

"You don't deserve to be leader and I do." Weiss stated as plainly as possible. Clearly, she was starting to get annoyed. Or at least, more annoyed than she already was. "Are we really gonna go through this whole conversation again?" Jaune ignored her question and pressed on.

"So, you don't think I'm qualified to be leader, and want to take the burden yourself?"

"N- Yes." Normally, Jaune wouldn't have noticed her slight slip up, but his intelligence had also gone up some, allowing him to spot her mistake. What it meant, he didn't know, but he did know how to find out. Two words, 'mind games.'

"So you'd do this same thing if Ruby was leader?" The answer was obvious, but Jaune didn't care. He was by no means a 'master manipulator,' but after his talk with Pyrrha, he'd used what spare time he had to read up on some basic psychology techniques. The game said he was lying when Jaune stated he wanted to help people, but Jaune didn't feel like he was.

"Of course." The Ice Queen scoffed.

"And Nora?"

"Obviously. Where are you-"

"Yang?"

"Yes. Where-"

"Pyrrha?"

"Yes! Her too, but-" They both stopped and took a second to realize what she just admitted. To any passerby, this didn't sound like much. But to Jaune, this raised some flags. It was well known that Pyrrha was one of the few people Weiss actually admired and respected. For Weiss to say that she found Pyrrha unfit to be her team leader didn't make a lot of sense. But either it was a simply slip of the tongue, or… Weiss had been lying about something.

 **You Detect a Lie**

 **[OK]**

And the jury was back on that one. Jaune took a step forward as she took a step back.

"If this isn't about who deserves to be leader, why are you doing this?" Jaune asked, his voice soft, as if trying not to scare here away. Weiss' shocked expression then turned into one of anger.

"It's none of your business why I want to be leader." She stated defensively. Jaune wanted to point out how it kinda was, considering she was going to kill him over it, but he held his tongue. Instead, he tried a more diplomatic approach.

"Weiss… We're on a team. If you need help just say so." For a split second, Jaune could have sworn there was something other than anger in her eyes, but it was gone faster than he could register.

"My life is none of your concern. Now, if we're done here, I have things to do." The Ice Queen replied in her signature cold tone. Without waiting for answer, she marched off, leaving Jaune behind.

So much for talking it out. He'd managed to see a side of her he never had before, but it was too little too late now. They were going to fight and he was probably going to die.

Past all the pessimism, though, Jaune did have one thought of hope. Her reaction made it clear that something was affecting her, and perhaps- if he didn't die during the fight- he'd be able to help her, and maybe even become her friend.

Maybe.

* * *

Jaune stood opposite Ruby as they both brandished wooden weapons. Ruby had a generic sword while Jaune held a custom made wooden scythe. When Ruby found the time to make it, Jaune had no clue, but the similarities between it and his own scythe were impressive.

As much as Jaune wanted to use the Scythe of Destiny to figure out all of its hidden secrets, it was for the best that he didn't. One wrong move and Ruby's semblance was taken away, which wouldn't be good for his training. On that note, the astounding effect of 'Semblancing Draining'- as Jaune was going to call it- was thankfully temporary. Jaune wasn't sure how long the Semblance Draining lasted, but by Yang's next fight, her semblance had returned. He would've hated to be the reason Yang lost her strongest ability.

Back to Jaune's training, Ruby stood in a plain stance, her sword outward, while Jaune stood in Ruby's very complicated 'Scythe Stance One.' The stance was so complicated, in fact, that a skill was made out of it, and it wasn't until he mastered it that Ruby started showing him how to actually use a scythe. Every aspect of it, from his foot placement to how much he crouched, had to change dependent on the person. Not only that, the hardest thing was memorizing how to shift into it on the go. Pyrrha was phenomenal in her training, but felt it felt a lot more generalized compared to what he was doing with Ruby.

With a sudden strike, Jaune lashed out with his wooden scythe, hooking around Ruby's sword, and wrenching it to the side. It was over in seconds. Ruby smiled.

"Good, Jaune. Perfect form the entire time." The Reaper complimented her team leader. Aside from the basic slashes and slices, that was one of the only moves she had taught him. Apparently, it was one of the most important. "You've improved a lot since we first started."

"Thanks." Jaune laughed. "But I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or an insult." They shares a laugh. "Besides, it's all thanks to you that I got this far." Ruby blushed, but shook it off quickly.

"Anyway, before we finish up, I want introduce you to the most important word a scythe-user knows… 'Momentum!'" She annoyed as she picked up her weapon.

"Didn't you say the same thing about 'Grapple?' And 'Stance?' And 'Scythe' too?" Jaune pointed out. Ruby shook her head.

"Yeah Yeah Yeah. We're past that. It's all about 'Momentum' now."

"Ok…" Silence. "Umm… What does that mean?"

"It means, silly, that you're gonna learn how to use a scythe in a combat situation." Jaune cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Wait. Then what was everything else I learned?"

"Oh. The slashes are for combat with Grimm and big groups of people, and the disarming technique is more for hostage situations and stuff like that."

"So what you're saying is, I don't have the slightest clue how to fight with a scythe still?"

"Pretty much." The little reaper said innocently. Jaune deadpanned.

"Ruby."

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember why we started doing this every night?"

"Yeah. To teach you how to use a scythe."

"Because…?"

"So that you could beat Weiss in a… Oh." Ruby's eyes widened as she realized their current predicament, with the fight being less than a week away. Jaune sighed.

"It's fine, Ruby. We still have a good amount of time and-"

"Stance One! Now!" Jaune jumped into position as Ruby did her best impression of a drill-Sergeant. "The fun and games are over! I'll be damned if that bitch becomes team captain over you! Now listen well, because I'm only going to explain this once." Jaune nodded intensely and Ruby started her lecture.

"When fighting with a scythe, you need to take advantage of the Scythe's unique shape. It's a hook. So that's how you'll fight. You hook things. Try the disarming technique on me when I'm going to strike." Almost as soon as she said the word, Ruby was charging at him.

As commanded, Jaune tried to pry the wooden sword out of Ruby's grasp while she ran towards him. Instead of the desired effect, however, Ruby just twisted the sword under, putting his scythe on the outside and hitting him in the chest.

"Ow." He said simply. Ruby ignored him, seeming to get on a roll. Not that he was complaining.

"Now I'll teach you something that actually works. I'm gonna do the same strike, but this time, dodge out of the way as you hook my blade, and allow my momentum to do the rest." Just as before, his teacher charged with barely a warning.

He did exactly as she asked of him, dodging out of the way at the last second and hooking onto her blade as she ran past. When she tried to change course in order to strike again, her sword was ripped from her grasp, just as promised.

"Good. Do you get the idea?" Ruby questioned, still in her lecturing tone.

"Yes ma'am." Jaune replied, semi-mockingly. His joke seemed to finally snap Ruby from whatever it was that possessed her in the first place. The little reaper's eyes widened.

"W- I- But- I'm sorry! Umm… I- You-" She started to panic, but Jaune put a quick stop to it.

"Calm down, Ruby." He reassured her. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"But I was bossing you around! And I attacked you! And-"

"And, it seems like you have a knack for teaching. Have you ever thought about becoming one?" Ruby blushed.

"A teacher? Someone who has to talk in front of a crowd of people day after day?" The sheer thought of it looked to make her nervous. "I don't think I'd be very good at that. It's probably better that I just stick to making weapons." Jaune shrugged, not wanting to push the issue.

"Well, regardless, I thought you were in your element just then. Anyway, same time tomorrow?"

"Probably not. Yang wants to hang out with me tomorrow. Some sort of 'sisters night' or something. Knowing Yang, I won't be back until really late."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "So I guess I have a day off."

"If you want to see it like that. Now come on, let's clean up and head back to the dorm." She began to start picking things up, but Jaune stopped her.

"You go on ahead, Ruby. I got this today." Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Being a gentleman today?" Jaune grinned.

"Always. But really, I'll have to wait for you to take a shower anyway, so I'm just saving time." He confessed. Ruby snorted.

'Quite the charmer, Jaune. I'll see you in a bit then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Ruby finally left, and Jaune was able to give attention to all the popups that had been plaguing his sight. Sure, that was his main motive in staying behind, but he hadn't been lying when he said he need to wait for her to take her shower. Quite the charmer, indeed, but not always the most noble.

 **Training Session Complete!  
** **You're one step closer to becoming a big strong boy!**

 **Reward: +1 Bond with Ruby, +1 DEX, +1 LV to Scythe Proficiency**

 **[OK]**

That was fine and all, but it was the notification next to it that worried him.

 **Error: Secondary Skill exceeds Skill Limit. Necessary adjustments have been made.**

 **[OK]**

Secondary Skills? As time went on, Jaune realized more and more just how little the game actually told him. Well, whatever. It was a good a prompt as any to take a look at his skills once again.

 **-Gamer Skills-**

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.**

 **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **-Basic Skills-**

 **Observe LV: 3- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.** **At LV: 3- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 103 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 78 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 53 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 43 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 33 levels.**

 **Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **Detect Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to detect a lie.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to detect lie of anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.  
**

 **Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to lie to others.  
** **At LV 2- 55% chance to lie to anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **-Aura Skills-**

 **Aura LV: 1- A general overview of how adept the Gamer is in using Aura.  
** **At LV: 1- The Gamer can learn Category 5 Aura skills and below. Category 0 Aura skills and below are instantly maxed out.**

 **Aura Channeling LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to move aura through their body at will, making it easier to learn new aura skills.  
** **At LV: MAX- -50% difficulty when learning new aura skills and -25% difficulty when leveling them up.**

 **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **-Stance Skills-**

 **Scythe Stance One LV: MAX- A Complex Stance that is pertinent for scythe combat.  
** **At LV: MAX- The gamer is able to handle any scythe without injury. +20% Physical Damage when wielding a scythe in this stance. +30% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **Aggressive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 4- +4% Physical Damage when wielding a longsword in this stance.**

 **Defensive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type.** **Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 4- +4% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **-Weapon Skills-**

 **Scythe Proficiency LV: 5[6]- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5[6]- +5 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.**

 **Longsword Proficiency LV: 6- Increases the skill the gamer has with longsword-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 6- +6 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.**

 **Light Shield Proficiency LV: 4- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 4- ++4 Defense when using shield-like weapons.**

The changes to the layout had been made after the first error, which actually changed up a lot of the UI in his menus. Ignoring that, Jaune immediately clicked on the interactable '6' in his scythe proficiency skill.

 **Base Gamer LV is too low to support more than one Proficiency above LV five. Secondary Skill has been set back until higher Base LV is achieved.**

 **[OK]**

Ah. Now Jaune understood the problem. The game was getting annoyed that he was focusing so much on his skills, so now it was forcing him to grind. Well fine. Jaune would go grind in the Emerald Forest. And he'd do it all on his own too. How hard could it be?

* * *

"No."

"But why?" Jaune groaned for the billionth time. Okay, maybe it wasn't that long, but Ren had still yet to budge. His partner simply didn't want to go to the Emerald Forest with him. And no, Jaune was not that stupid enough to go into the Forest all on his own. He remembered the Beowolves, he remembered the Ursai, he remembered the huge fuck off Deathclaw. There was no way in hell he'd every willingly go into the Emerald Forest alone.

"I have other things to do today." The stoic ninja responded simply. What those things were, his partner had yet to inform him. But 'apparently,' they were super important and top secret. It was then when Nora bounced on into their room, completely unannounced.

"Renny! What are we gonna do today?!" The hammer wielding maniac asked enthusiastically. Ren smiled and turned his attention away from Jaune.

"I don't know. Whatever you want, I suppose." Ren admitted calmly, causing Jaune to sputter.

"Oh, hi Jaune!" Nora greeted, as if just seeing him for the first time. "What are you doing today?" Still sputtering, Ren had to answer for him.

"He wants to go into the Emerald Forest and hunt some Grimm. He's been annoying me for the past twenty minutes, trying to get me to come along with him." Finally, Jaune snapped out of his stupor.

"You said you had important things to do today!" Jaune accused, making Ren to shrug.

"I lied." At the same time, Nora's face went blank, before gaining a big smile.

"Hunting Grimm?! I love grinding! Can we go Renny? Can we? Can we?" As Ren frowned, Jaune smiled. While kill stealing would be an issue, the more the merrier in his opinion.

"I don't know…" Ren hesitated, making both Nora and Jaune pout.

"Don't be like that, Ren." Jaune insisted. Then, he thought of the best idea. "Maybe Nora can bring Blake with us too." He suggested. Hearing this, Nora gasped.

"It would be like a partner double date! Wel, not a 'date' date, but…" Nora trailed off, but Jaune could see that Ren was hooked with the word 'date.'

"Alright, fine. We can all go." Ren caved.

"Yes!" Jaune and Nora exclaimed at the same time, giving Ren a hug.

"Get off of me, Jaune." Ren pushed his partner off, making him frown.

"But what about Nora?" Jaune complained as Nora stuck her tongue out at him.

"Nora's Nora." Ren explained.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

* * *

"I'm so glad you joined us Blake. It's a good thing you had nothing to do." Nora commented cheekily, dragging her partner along through the forest.

"I was doing stuff, you just forced me to do this." Blake pointed out in a bland voice. Clearly, she wasn't too bothered by the change of events.

"Eh, schematics." Nora brushes off.

"You mean 'semantics.'" Ren corrected.

"Potato, potato."

"Potato, potahto."

"Stop thinking about food, Renny, we have Grimm to kill."

"Bu- Huff… Okay." While Nora annoyed her two friends, Jaune looked on with a smile. Those three were his lowest bonds, aside from the obvious. He didn't even have a bond for Blake! So yes, he was here to level up. Perhaps a side goal could be to make some bonds, make some friends.

Onto business, he needed to make sure he could actually get experience. The whole 'needing to get the final hit' deal was going to be difficult when he had to contend with three other people. But how was he supposed to ask something like that without sounding arrogant or weird?

"Oh yeah," Nora said suddenly, thinking of something. "Just a warning before we find anything, if someone kills a Grimm I was fighting and I didn't ask for help, I will break your legs. Jaune…"

"What did I do?" Jaune cried indignantly.

"I'm just saying, don't steal my kills."

"I won't if you don't." He offered playfully. She nodded in agreement and he internally grinned. This game always found a way to surprise him. Usually it was a bad surprise, but occasionally stuff like this happened. Times like these when Jaune was reminded how good it was to be in a video game, where things just worked out how you wanted them to. He wondered if every grinding session would be like this, or if the game was going easy on him because it was his first time.

 **This is your first time grinding. In your previous game, your first thought was:  
** ' **That's all? Well then, this'll be easy.'**

 **[OK]**

Right on the dot, the team of four stumbled upon five beowolves, minding their own business. Barely a second went by before the action started.

"Finally!" Nora exclaimed, ambushing the Grimm and crushing a beowolf with her hammer, killing it instantly. "Let's get this show on the road!" She shouted, before singling out another wolf to fight for herself. Following her lead, Jaune's two other companions joined the fray, leaving a single beowolf for Jaune to deal with.

Just as he should, Jaune observed the beowolf before making any attacks.

 **Name: Howard  
** **LV: 7 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Senator  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

Only level seven? Howard the Senator wasn't going to pose much of a challenge, was he? The beowolf sure seemed to think so, however, and charged with a growl. Already having his sword and shield out, Jaune allowed the Grimm to slam into his shield and fall to the ground before giving it a good slash across the belly. Then he checked the health.

 **HP: 574/700**

Over one hundred damage in one hit! Jaune truly felt strong right now. After having to contend with people over level thirty for near on two weeks straight, a level seven beowolf meant nothing to him. But that was the problem, wasn't it? The best rpgs scaled their enemies so that the player was always met with a challenge, but if the player never leveled up, neither would the enemies.

By leaching as much as he could from one level, Jaune was most likely on par with any normal person at level four or five, and any grimm at level nine or ten. Now the game was backing him into a corner, so that he had to level up and boost the difficulty. Well fine, now Jaune was ready for the challenge, ready for anything! And, wow… That beowolf kill really got to his head. Oh, yeah, Howard was already dead.

 **Beowolf Slain!  
Rewards:  
** **(14 Lien x 50%)= 7 Lien  
** **(7 EXP x 80%)= 6 EXP**

 **[OK]**

"That was easy." Jaune agreed with his past self. If he only had to deal with one Beowolf at a time, this whole trip would be a cakewalk.

"Oh, don't worry." Nora replied. "It'll get worse. It's a 'wave' system."

"Wave system?" Before he could ask for her to elaborate, seven more beowolves revealed themselves from out of nowhere, two of the going for Jaune.

 **Name: Rosaline  
** **LV: 7 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Senator  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Donald  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 600/600**

 **[OK]**

Two at once? Shit. Was this because he said things were getting easy? Probably. No matter, Jaune could handle it.

The tag team ran at him simultaneously, but Jaune was ready. Just as with Howard, he let one of the grimm smash onto his shield, but with the other one, he simply dodged out of the way. Focusing his attention on the closest beowolf, Donald, Crocea Mors slammed through the beast's skull, killing it instantly. With the first one gone, Jaune managed to dispatch the second one easily, cutting it in half.

God damn, he felt like a badass right now.

"Don't get cocky, kid." Nora warned. "Time for round three." On their cue, ten more beowolves came out of the woodworks. Of course, three decided to attack Jaune.

 **Name: Cassandra  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Linda  
** **LV: 8 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Democratically Elected Leader  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Norman  
** **LV: 9 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Judge  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

The tried and true 'shield' method failed him this time, as Jaune forgot to account for the third beowolf covering the downed one. The same thing happened anytime he tried to seperate the pack, and became more of a problem as the one left out would be able to get off an attack from behind. It seemed three Beowolves at once was simply too much for Jaune. Reluctantly, he signaled to the others that he had met his match.

"A little help here?" Jaune called out to his fellow students. As if they were waiting for him to call, which they probably were, two of the three beowolves were instantly killed by Blake and Nora, leaving the last one to be cleaned up by Jaune himself. "Thanks guys. I was a little over my head there." Blake ignored him, and Nora just chuckled.

"If you had trouble at three, then the rest of this is going to be a nightmare for you." Nora said with a laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, dummy, it's time for round four!"

"Oh crap." Yeah, the game was definitely pissed that he said it was easy. His bad. He definitely wouldn't do it again.

* * *

After who knows how many rounds of that torture, Jaune was exhausted. Or, he would have been if it wasn't for Gamer's Body. Truly, one of his most useful skills.

"Now that that's all done with, can we head back now?" Blake voiced Jaune's question without knowing it.

"Are you kidding? We still have half the day left! Don't be such a party pooper, kitty-kat." Nora affirmed, seemingly unaffected by the whole ordeal. Blake growled.

"Stop calling me that." Nora's partner threatened, only making her laugh.

"But you're so cute and your hair is so soft! How could I not?" Nora replied, dancing out of the way of Blake's pot shot at her. Jaune didn't know when Nora started calling Blake 'kitty-kat,' but it was just a thing he had learned to accept.

"You never get tired, do you?" Jaune asked Nora genuinely. He would've said it as a joke if it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't either.

"No, she doesn't. I bet you're regretting inviting us now, aren't you?" Ren pointed out almost as if to say 'I told you so.' Jaune just shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine with it. It's just one of her quirks. Everybody's got some." The team leader commented, making Nora smirk.

"Do you hear that, Renny? It seems like Jaune gets me better than you do." Teasing was evident in her voice, but the ninja clearly didn't notice.

"I didn't mean to say that your energy was bad," Ren hurriedly clarified. "I love your ceaseless energy!"

"Guys…?" Blake tried to get out a sentence, but her plea fell on deaf ears. Innocently, Nora moved closer to Jaune.

"I don't know, Renny… Maybe Jaune should be my new best friend, since you don't appreciate me like you should." Nora's smile was wide at this point, but Ren wasn't even looking at her anymore. Instead, he fell to the ground, prostrating himself before her. Jaune shifted, feeling uncomfortable.

"Guys…" Blake's voice began more urgent, but still, nobody cared.

"No! I'll make you all the pancakes you'd ever want! I'll stay up with you to play silly games and not tell you to go to sleep! I'll- I'll- I'll do anything! Just don't replace me!" Ren pleaded. Nora giggled.

"Guys!" Blake shouted to no avail. Jaune was simply too invested in Ren and Nora to look at Blake this moment.

"Deal! No take backs!" Nora shouted with a laugh. "You're so funny Renny, and good at acting. Ooh! We should make a movie together! It would be fantastical!" Ren looked up, his eyes wide, and coughed.

"Uhh, yeah, 'acting…' Anyway… What's wrong kit- I mean, Blake?" The three of them finally glanced over at Blake, who was standing in front of a clearing. The clearing, however, was no ordinary clearing. Instead, this clearing happened to be full of Boarbatusks, staring at the four of them. Jaune happened to noticed quite a large one sitting in the middle, with other, smaller boarbatusks sat around it.

 **Name: Constantine II  
** **LV: 23 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: Petty King  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **HP: 2300/2300**

 **[OK]**

King, huh? Jaune never thought he'd see a 'King of the Grimm' ever, but here he was, staring right at one. Speaking of which, it seemed to finally click for said King that there were intruders on his territory. With an angry snort, Petty King Constantine II got up from his seat in the center of the clearing and stamped a hoof on the ground. All around him, other Boarbatusks started doing the same. Jaune knew what this meant. They were going to charge.

"Oh no…" He muttered, just as Nora let out her fearsome battle cry.

"Run away! Run away!" An unexpected sentiment, but an agreeable one at that. One moment they were there, and the next they were gone, running for their lives just as Nora ordered.

Jaune, being one of the slower ones in the group, kept his sights trained on Ren, and followed his partner to the best of his abilities. When the rumbling of Boarbatusks finally became a sound in the distance, Ren stopped, Jaune not far behind.

"Now, that was something." Jaune remarked as he let Ren catch his breath. Then he waited. Silence. Looking around, Jaune finally noticed something missing. "Umm… Where are Nora and Blake?" In response, Ren pulled out his scroll and glanced at it.

"They're about ten minutes west of us. At least, Nora is. Hopefully Blake stuck with her." Jaune raised an eyebrow at this sudden, presumably accurate, information.

"Why, exactly, do you know that?"

'After the hundredth time of losing Nora because she wandered off, I put a tracking device in the handle of her Hammer, because I know she'll bring that wherever she goes." Ren explained. "It's easier this way."

"Oh. Okay then." With that all settled, silence fell upon the two of them. "Shall we get going then?" Jaune gestured in the direction of Nora.

"Yeah." And silence once more.

As they walked in silence, Jaune considered his dear partner. He wasn't the most open of people, nor was he the easiest to talk to. Actually, thinking about it, Jaune hadn't seen Ren really interact with anyone besides him, Nora, and Blake. Clearly, he was a bit antisocial. Not that it was a bad thing, simply an observation Jaune made. Perhaps this contributed to Ren's lack of friends. Well, it definitely did, but that wasn't the point. The point was whether or not Ren wanted another friend to begin with. Should Jaune even bother trying to open Ren up if Ren didn't want to be opened up? Fuck it.

"Hey, Ren?" Jaune started. The ninja didn't even look up from his scroll. "Ren?"

"I'm listening." Ren grunted back to him.

"How has school been going for you so far?" This got Ren's attention, and he got a distinctly 'What the fuck' look from his partner.

"Uhh… Fine…?"

"Good to hear." Jaune nodded. "The work isn't too much? The studying's a bit rough for me."

"No, it's fine." Ren once again replied.

"Good, great." There was the briefest of lulls in the conversation, before Jaune picked it back up again. "What's your favorite color?" Ren swung around to meet his team leader face to face.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Jaune raised his hands innocently.

"You're doing something. What is it?" Ren accused. Now was a good a time to be straight forward as any.

"Ren. We're partners. Small talk is something we're going to have to get used to. Aside from that, we need to be able to confide in each other if we ever want to trust each other." Ren turned back around.

"I already have one person to trust and confide in, and that's all I need. So you can drop the act."

"It's not an act," Jaune said, incredulous. "Besides, can you confide everything in that person? Even… A crush?" At the word, Ren faltered, and looked to Jaune with a frown.

"Is it that obvious?" Was Ren's crush on Blake obvious? Absolutely.

"Absolutely." The stoic ninja sighed and held his hand out.

"Fine. But everything I say stays between us, and only us. Got it?" Jaune smiled, shaking Ren's hand.

"That's what I wanted, remember?"

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **L** **ie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"Alright. What do you want to know?" Jaune was on the questions in an instant.

"Why do you like her?"

"Quite a packed question, but the best answer would be… Every reason. She's funny, she's beautiful, she's reliable. I could go on and on, but you get the point. And really, when you've known someone for as long as we've known each other, it's hard not to develop feelings for them." Jaune raised an eyebrow at this.

"So you've known each other long? Ren raised his own eyebrow at the question.

"My crush was obvious, but that wasn't?"

"It kinda looked like you to met at initiation."

"Huh. Well, whatever. But yes, we've known each other for a long time now."

"Then why don't you tell her the truth if you've known her that long?" Ren snorted.

"Easier said than done. Aside from me being afraid to ruin our friendship, she isn't exactly the easiest person to talk to when it comes to relationships." Jaune nodded at this. That was one thing about Blake he saw easily.

"Well, if you want my advice, I think you should-"

"Advice on what?" Speak of the devil and she shall come. Out of nowhere, Nora came bursting onto the scene, Blake following right behind. The duo in question looked to each other.

"Oh nothing," Jaune lied. "Just 'guy' stuff."

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

"Oooooh! I get it…" Nora exclaimed with a knowing look, tapping her nose. Jaune just got confused. "Anyway. Come on, you slow pokes, I found us a safe spot to eat lunch." And just as she came, she was gone.

"Safe spot?"

* * *

The safe spot was a clearing with a campfire in the middle of it. Really. That was it. Okay, there was an old rusted sword stabbed into the campfire, but besides that, nothing else.

"How exactly is this a safe spot?" Jaune questioned the spunky girl dancing around the clearing.

"All grimm are afraid of rusted swords in campfires. Duh!" Jaune nodded.

"Of course. How could I have been so naive?"

"I don't know, but don't worry about. It's time to eat! Renny, bring out the sandwiches!" In fear of Nora eating all the food before anyone else could get to it, it was decided that Ren was to carry the food out with them. One giant sandwich for Nora, and three normal ones for the rest.

While they were sitting and eating, no Grimm came and attacked them, just as Nora had promised. Instead, Jaune spent the time listening to crazy stories Nora made up in her head and the plans she had for world domination, where pancakes would become the only food you could eat. It was… Nice, actually. Nora was a bit much, but she was able to put small smiles on Blake and Ren's faces, so Jaune didn't mind.

One thing that was bothering him as they ate, though, was the rusted sword. It just sat there, in the middle of the clearing, doing absolutely nothing. It was suspicious. Curiosity overwhelming him, Jaune had to check it out. The others paid no mind when he got up from the ground to inspect the sword. The sword itself made no moves as Jaune approached it, completely immobile. Suspicious. Or maybe he was just being too paranoid.

When Jaune was right next to the sword in the camp fire, he was able to finally see the detail hidden under the rust. All along the blade, a battle was depicted. A two on one fight, two knights against a far greater enemy. They exchanged blows back and forth, but clearly the individual was winning. Finally, the three clashed in one last strike and- The rust was too rusted over to make sense of. After seeing this, without even realizing it, Jaune grabbed the handle of the blade.

 **Skill Found:  
** **Fire LV: 1- Allows the gamer to light things on fire. As simple as that.**

 **[UNABLE TO LEARN]**

What? Fire? That would be awesome! Not to mention, extremely helpful. But why wasn't he able to learn it?

 **Skill Books removed from New Game Plus**

 **[OK]**

"Oh, come on!" Jaune muttered to himself. How was this random rusted sword in the middle of the woods a 'skill book?' Jaune called bullshit on that one. Releasing the sword with a sigh, Jaune turned back to his grinding companions. Only to find Blake, staring at him.

"Are you done." Blake said. Not asked, said. There wasn't enough caring in her voice for it to count as a question.

"Where did Nora and Ren go?"

"Nora ran off when she spotted a 'thing.' Ren ran after her."

"Oh." Jaune nodded and Blake shook her head, annoyed.

"Are we going to follow them or just sit here forever?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry, let's follow them." Not waiting another second, Blake turned around and started her journey through the forest, Jaune close behind.

* * *

"Thanks for waiting for me." Jaune mentioned, trying to start up a conversation.

"It was either that, or the teachers forcing me back here to search for you when you inevitably got lost and almost died." And the conversation was shut down. Blake preceded her march forward without so much as a courtesy glance at Jaune. Her backside was all Jaune could see. Speaking of backsides, though…

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

Yeah, that was bound to happen. And a good thing too. In this Grimm infested forest, Jaune needed to be on lookout, not in the gutter. But semi-related to all of that, Blake was the only person from Teams JWLR and PBNY that he hadn't gotten a bond with. Apparently he wasn't funny enough to have a positive one, nor was he annoying enough to have a negative one. So insignificant to Blake's life, that he was barely a thought in her mind. He should try and change that.

Actually, on second thought, no, he shouldn't try to change that. With Ren, building his bond was justified. They were partners, they needed to be on good terms. But with Blake, what gave him that right? Sure, there was the thought that if he could do it, he should do it, but that sat with Jaune the wrong way. Yes, his video game powers quantified relationships, thereby making it easier for him to create relationships and make them grow. However, wasn't it exploitive if he tried to force these relationships instead of letting them occur naturally?

Wait. But wouldn't trying to make friends with a stranger be the same idea, just minus the powers? Sort of? Maybe? Ugh. Why were moral dilemmas so damn complicated?!

"You okay back there?" Blake disturbed his thoughts with a question.

"Huh? Umm, yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"It's just that… Nevermind." Ignoring that, Jaune was still arguing with himself in his head.

Okay. It was different in this situation because he and Blake already knew of each other, but hadn't had any relationship increase of decrease while they knew each other. As opposed to a stranger who wouldn't know Jaune existed, and that's why there's no bond. Hold on. Wouldn't that just make Blake a stranger then? Shit. Restarting.

No. She wasn't a stranger because they knew each other's names and had met each other in person. Because of this, there was potential for their bond to increase or decrease naturally unlike a strangers. Fine. But wouldn't it be natural for people to talk to each other? Sure. So should he talk to Blake in the hopes of becoming friends? Yes. Alright, fantastic.

That took too long. Anyway.

"Hey Bl- Urk!" While Jaune had been thinking about the morality in trying to make friends, he was unable to notice the Ursa coming up from behind him, hitting him in the back and sending him flying. "Ow." He commented once he hit a tree.

"Jaune! Are you okay?" Blake called out to Jaune as he got his bearings back. Heh. 'Bear-ings.' Ugh. He must've hit his head a little harder than he thought.

"I'm good!" He called back. Picking back up his sword and shield, Jaune finally faced the creature for the first time. And holy shit, it was big.

 **Name: Boris  
** **LV: 28 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Commissar  
** **Race: Advanced Grimm**

 **HP: 3000/3000**

 **[OK]**

"That's no ordinary Ursa…" Jaune commented to himself as he regrouped with Blake beside him. Boris was a slow one, but his march only made him all the more intimidating.

"It's an Ursa Major. I must've took a wrong turn. We should probably run."

"Yeah…" Jaune agreed, before trailing off when seeing the Ursa's health bar appear at the bottom of his screen. "Or… We could kill it. You know, rid the world of one more Ursa." Jaune offered with a nervous smile. Blake certainly wasn't impressed by his idea.

"You just want to be able to say you killed one, don't you?" She accused.

"No," Jaune replied honestly. "I just want to have the final hit." Blake stared at him for a moment, then at the Ursa that seemed to be waiting for them to finish talking, then back at him.

"I don't know why I'm agreeing to this, but fine. Do you at least have a plan?"

"Yeah. You try to get his arms stuck with dust, just like Weiss did to you, and I'll go for the legs. Once he's immobilized, we'll whale on him until he dies." Jaune ordered. Blake blinked, shocked.

"Huh. I really didn't think you'd have one." She confessed, ignoring his comment about Weiss. Making Jaune grin.

"I'm a team leader, it's kinda my job." Finally, Commissar Bors roared at the two of them. Almost as if to say 'Now that your done, let's kill each other!' Jaune obliged with a grin.

Just like most grimm battles, the fight started off with Boris charging at the two of them. Jaune jumped to the left and Blake went right. It was a fifty-fifty split who the Ursa Major would target, and with Jaune's luck, it was him. He dodged out of the way of another two strikes, knowing that he wouldn't be able to take them, even with his shield.

Behind Boris, Blake set to work doing Jaune's job, cutting up the unarmoured back of the Ursa's leg, quickly getting his attention. Despite the beast's size, it was actually quite fast when it wanted to be, almoosting taking out Blake when it spun around. Except she had been expecting it, and did just as Jaune ordered with her semblance, actually trapping both of the commissar's paws in Earth Dust.

The whaling began, but didn't last long. With a strength that should've really been expected, Boris ripped his arms free from the rock and slashed Blake back into a tree.

 **HP: 2304/3000**

They had made some progress- mostly thanks to Blake- but it wasn't enough. Jaune needed to do something quick if he wanted Blake and him to come out of this unscathed. Perhaps if he had some FIRE he'd be able to help more, but instead, all he had was a maxed out Jump skill… Bam. He thought of something.

Before Boris could mall Blake to death, Jaune jumped on his back and slammed Crocea Mors in as deep as he could. Doing so, he actual cut his face on one of the spikes, but was relatively okay. The Ursa wasn't though, and it reared back to its hind legs, in recoil. Spinning while trying to scratch at it's own back, the commissar turned away from Blake, and that was all Jaune needed.

Gripping Crocea Mors as tightly as he could, Jaune used Boris as a springboard, slicing his sword upwards along Boris' body while backflipping off of the Grimm. The result was Jaune epicly landing without damage, as the Ursa Major floundered at the cut in its back tat traveled all the way up to the base of the skull. And…

 **HP: 1483/3000**

It wasn't enough. Ah shit. Now, instead of a normal Ursa Major, Jaune had to deal with an enraged Ursa Major. He was dead.

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA-" The vicious roar stopped suddenly, Boris' head flying to one place and his body falling to another. In the middle, was Blake, posing like a badass as the Grimm poofed into dust.

"How was that for an awesome move?" She asked with a grin. Jaune wanted to agree, but was too saddened by the lack of experience from the Ursa Major to say anything.

 **Don't ruin the moment, and you'll gain a level.**

Jaune grinned right back at her.

"On a scale of one to ten… Eleven."

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up!  
** **All relevant modifiers have been applied.**

 **[OK]**

* * *

 **I went over the chapter as I said I would. Anyway,**

 **The detect lie wasn't for the Pyrrha line, it kicked in when he realized she was realizing about something general in the conversation.**

 **Jaune's a little bipolar when it comes to risk taking, but it's sort of his thing. He does things safely, and does them well, but becomes cocky because of it. Then does things dangerously, almost dies, and becomes paranoid because of it. A vicious cycle, but one that I think applies well to the Jaune in the show- If there were any actual stakes to the Show, that is- Confident, then not so much.**

 **Now I'll address some reviews from both this chapter and the last one.**

 **As I said in the summary, this story isn't to bash Jaune. Nor is it to bash any of the other characters. For anyone worried that I'll single out a character and make them wholey unredeemable, just wait for the next chapter.**

 **Speaking of the next chapter, WEISS FIGHT coming up, so get ready for it. It'll be doozy**

 **I love when people try to predict what's happening in the story. Of course, I'm not going to spoil anything, but if you really want to talk, just PM me.**

 **Jaunes sword IS NOT A LONGSWORD. That is correct. However, it is also incorrect. If you look it up, sword classifications are all over the place and have no true standard. So Longsword probably isn't the best name for it, but it still works.**

 **Finally, I don't know why people want Jaune to get rid of his scythe so much. It disables semblances! In this game, he's not giving it up anytime soon.**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, leave a Review. They're always welcome. And until next time,**

 **-RMV**

 **Edit: I just realized I didn't credit my Betas. Sure, they haven't changed since the last chapter, but that doesn't matter. Thanks to CasuallyPosting and Macheddy for being awesome and giving me ideas.**


	7. A Duel of Ice

At exactly 7:42 AM, Jaune's eyes open. Immediately, he tried to shut them again, but the game wasn't having it. He won't be going to sleep anytime soon. Today's the day, and now he'd have to face it like a Team Leader should. Or he could just hide in his bed until it was all over, but Weiss wouldn't let him.

Speaking of Weiss, Jaune turned to see that she was already gone. Usually, he got up before her, but he had trouble getting to sleep last night. Well, not really. He was actually just going over battle strategies in his head for a while before he decided to go out like a light. Gamer's Mind always let him get the best sleep of his life every night. No dreams though, which was too bad.

No longer delaying the inevitable, Jaune sat up from his cozy bed and took a look at both his stats and skills.

 **[STATUS]**

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 3 EXP: 374/600  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 200/200 (+22 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 2200/2200 (+22 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 220/220 (+11 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-**

 **STR: 19  
** **DEX: 14  
** **INT: 11 (9+1+1)  
** **WIS: 11  
** **END: 17 (18-1)  
** **CHA: 20 (17+3)  
** **LCK: 14 (10+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 14**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Equipment-**

 **Right Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Armour: [Pajamas]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Money-**

 **Lien: 356  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Bonds-**

 **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 14/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 21/200- Considers you a good friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: -17/200- Despises you  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 16/200- Sees potential in you  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: 4/200- Almost considers you a friend  
** **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 3/200 Sees the possibility of friendship in you  
** **[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[SKILLS]**

 **-Gamer Skills-**

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.**

 **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **-Basic Skills-**

 **Observe LV: 2- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.  
** **At LV: 2- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 102 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 77 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 52 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 42 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 32 levels.**

 **Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **Detect Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to detect a lie.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to detect lie of anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to lie to others.  
** **At LV 2- 55% chance to lie to anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **-Aura Skills-**

 **Aura LV: 1- A general overview of how adept the Gamer is in using Aura.  
** **At LV: 1- The Gamer can learn Category 5 Aura skills and below. Category 0 Aura skills and below are instantly maxed out.**

 **Aura Channeling LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to move aura through their body at will, making it easier to learn new aura skills.  
** **At LV: MAX- -50% difficulty when learning new aura skills and -25% difficulty when leveling them up.**

 **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **-Stance Skills-**

 **Scythe Stance One LV: MAX- A Complex Stance that is pertinent for scythe combat.  
** **At LV: MAX- The gamer is able to handle any scythe without injury. +20% Physical Damage when wielding a scythe in this stance. +30% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **Aggressive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 4- +4% Physical Damage when wielding a longsword in this stance.**

 **Defensive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 4- +4% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **-Weapon Skills-**

 **Scythe Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5- +5 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.**

 **Longsword Proficiency LV: 6- Increases the skill the gamer has with long sword-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 6- +6 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.**

 **Light Shield Proficiency LV: 4- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 4- +4 Defense when using shield-like weapons.**

Yup. Just as he thought. He wasn't ready in the slightest.

Pouring one final point into Strength and three into Intelligence, Jaune sighed. He knew it didn't matter what he did. Weiss was going to be stronger no matter what. All he could do was hope that his training hadn't been for nothing.

Steeling himself, Jaune threw on his combat gear.

* * *

Breakfast was quiet. For obvious reasons, Jaune wasn't feeling the most talkative today. Especially not when Weiss was in the same room as him. Ruby, too, wasn't as chatty as normal, and the two ate in silence as Pyrrha and Yang stared.

As Yang tried and failed for the third time to land a joke, she decided that she needed to know what was up.

"Okay. What's wrong with you two?" Yang laid out plain and simple, causing her partner to jump at how blunt she was. "Jaune, you have yet to flirt with me today, and Ruby, you've barely even touched your cookies." Jaune looked up from his food pathetically.

"Oh, sorry. You look beautiful today. Did you do something different with your hair?" He asked in a near monotone voice.

"I- I did, but that's besides the point." Yang responded, shaking off her blush. "The point is, took two aren't normally like this, and it's worrying."

"Yeah." Pyrrha chimed in. "I don't want to pry, but is there something bother you two? You can always talk to m- Us." Ruby and Jaune looked to each other.

"Team problems." Ruby clarified a little better. "But don't worry, Jaune will have it fixed by tomorrow."

"Don't bet on it." Jaune discouraged. Ruby glared.

"You'll be fine. Actually, you'll be better than fine." The little huntress insisted, trying to boost his confidence. It didn't work.

"We'll see." He replied simply. Yang and Pyrrha looked to each other for answer, but were only able to shrug. The conversation was dropped and the four of them went back to eating in silence, the mood thoroughly ruined.

Glancing up from his breakfast a second time, Jaune nearly caught Blake's eye, but she quickly looked away. Jaune sighed a little more. He had thought that with their bond he made while out grinding that he and Blake would become good friends, but that wasn't the case. Instead, she seemed to avoid him even more than before, like he was the plague.

Oh well. It wouldn't be much of a problem after he was dead.

* * *

As if practicing, Jaune paced around Beacon like a ghost. If only there was something the game could do to restore his confidence.

…

No? Nothing? Well, it was worth a shot. Anyway. He didn't quite know what to do with himself in the hours he had remaining on the planet. Ruby had done her best to stick around with him and take his mind off of things, but it was pointless and she eventually wandered off. He appreciated the sentiment, for what that was worth.

His stumblings around the Beacon campus came to an end at a small outdoor clearing. A tiny fountain in the center was all the noise produced around the area, aside from the occasional animal in the tree. It was certainly out of the way, but cozy nonetheless. Jaune had never actually been to this area of Beacon, but he'd have to remember it for later.

"...I am…" Disturbing the peace, Jaune caught wind of someone's conversation. He almost thought he made the noise up until he heard it a second time. "...But you…" The sun was just starting to go down and people were heading back to their dorms by now. Anyone still all the way out here definitely didn't want their conversation heard. However, Jaune couldn't help but walk towards the noise, as if there was something familiar to it…

Out of the clearing and back into the building he went, until, eventually, he stumbled across the sight. Or, it's epicenter at least. Being so close, Jaune could now tell that it was Weiss' voice that was doing the talking. Who she was talking to, Jaune had no idea. The Ice Queen in question had shut herself in a storage closet, but putting his ear to the door, he could hear just fine.

"...Can't believe this! If father were to find out, he'd pull you from Beacon for sure." The mysterious voice shouted. Clearly, she was a sibling or relative.

"Winter, please, I've been trying to tell you, I-" Weiss started.

"That you'll get the title, that it was all just a mistake?" The other woman, apparently named Winter, cut off. "It's always been excuses from you, your entire life. 'I didn't mean it,' 'it was an accident.' You've never just been able to do your duty and leave it at that. Disgraceful." The harsh comment made Weiss look away.

"Sorry I can't live up to 'Daddy's Perfect Child…'" Weiss muttered. If Winter heard it, she didn't comment, but her tone did seem to stricken a bit.

"Just remember that there will always be a place for you at Atlas academy, and it will still be there after your done 'playing around' at Beacon. You can have your fun and games now, but if you think you'll be able to go your life tarnishing this family's name, you're dead wrong. Goodbye, Sister." With that, Jaune saw the light from the scroll shut off. The checkup call was over.

Needless to say, it was more intense than he expected,especially for a call between siblings. Jaune thought about how he would react if one of his sisters talked to him like that… It wasn't a very pretty sight.

Being so caught up in thought, Jaune didn't have time to hide himself from Weiss, nor did he have time to move from the door. Jaune's team member pulled open the door only for him to fall down on it, nearly on top of her. Scrambling to his feet, he tried his best to explain himself,

 **-2 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: -19/200**

 **[OK]**

"Weiss, I-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

After having been bitch slapped, Jaune had no words.

"Never eavesdrop on me again." The heiress growled, then stomped away hastily. Before she turned the corner to leave, though, she gave one final remark. "And we're still fighting tonight. This doesn't change anything."

The heiress walked away, leaving Jaune stunned and shamed. Just when it seemed that there was no way the fight could get any worse, the universe just slapped him in the face. He was doomed.

* * *

As the sun fell from the sky and the residents of Beacon took their leave for the night, two anxious students were left staring at their shared ceiling. Long past that, they waited, and waited, and waited until finally the pain of waiting became too much. Springing up from bed around what Jaune assumed to be 12:30, half of Team JWLR made their way out the dorm doors.

Nothing was said along the way. Perhaps out of fear, or maybe respect, but it was probably fear. However, unlike so many times before, this was fear on both sides. They both knew the stakes, they both knew how devastated the other would be after a loss. For all intents and purposes, it was a losing contest whichever way you cut it.

And yet, they walked on, out of the campus and into the woods. Far enough away that nobody could hear them, but close enough that there most likely wouldn't be any interfering Grimm.

Happening across a suitable clearing- though Jaune wouldn't have been surprised if Weiss found it beforehand just to look for 'adequate terrain-' the two seperated and stood opposite each other, still in silence. Predictably, Jaune broke first.

"Weiss, you know I don't want this." Jaune started as Weiss began preparing herself in a last minute check of her equipment. "I mean, we're Team JWLR for crying out loud, not Team 'JLR.' You have a place with us, always." Weiss scoffed while pulling out her rapier.

"So, what? All of my 'past crimes' will be forgiven and the whole team will accept me with open arms?"

"Well, I don't think Ren would hug you- but yeah, essentially."

"You're more naive than Ruby." The Schnee said simply.

"Don't listen to your sister, Weiss. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone." For once again being unable to read the room, Jaune then suffered a tactical disadvantage- or advantage, if he was smart enough about it. Which he wasn't.

"Leave her out of this!" Weiss yelled, almost instantaneously falling into a rage. With that, she charged, starting the battle once and for all. Unfortunately, Jaune didn't even have a weapon equipped yet.

Just barely managing to dodge the first strike, Jaune noticed the Health Bar at the bottom of his vision as he worked to pull the Scythe from his belt. He really needed to make a holster for it.

 **HP: 4000/4000  
** **AP: 4100/4100**

Unlike with the Grimm, two bars displayed themselves for Weiss. Somehow, this demoralized him even further, but Jaune shook it off. Now was not the time for self pity, now he had to be in the zone.

If Jaune was the rag tag underdog team that barely made it to the championships, Weiss was from the Varsity League, here to beat the hell out of some twelve year olds. Her glyphs caused her to bounce around like Nora, unceasing in ferocity. Weiss was smart enough to know that mindless rage wasn't the best strategy, but she was also cocky enough to think that she didn't need one against him- at least, that was Jaune's guess. If it wasn't obvious, he was on the defensive.

After barely blocking the umpeenth shot to his head, Jaune decided to change up tactics. As Weiss rounded about for another assault, Jaune steadied himself in Scythe Stance One, and faced her head on. Waiting until the very last moment, Jaune jumped sideways, out of the line of fire, while keeping his Scythe Level with her. He turned the Scythe of destiny to hook the weapon in her hand and wrenched on it with all his might. Just as Ruby taught him.

However, what Ruby failed to mention was how the move affect people with 'stabbing' type weapons, instead only focusing on the more common 'slashing' type. With Weiss extending her hand out further, the Scythe missed the blade and instead hooked onto the first other thing it could find, her wrist. Then Jaune pulled. The Scythe, in the perfect condition that it was, sliced through like a hot knife through butter, and with Weiss flying in the opposite direction, the skin and muscle peeled back with her, the wound getting deeper as it went. Had it not been for Weiss' pre-summoned glyphs and her ability to suddenly change course, the heiress' hand would have mostly likely been cut clean off.

Red splattered the ground. Jaune instantly knew something was wrong when he heard her cry of pain. Stopping his movement and turning around revealed a gruesome sight. Blood covered Weiss' entire hand from the elbow down, so much so that, Jaune couldn't even make out the wound. As he stood frozen, dropping his Scythe to the ground, Weiss immediately set out to work. Ignoring the pain, she applied pressure to the injury and looked for something to patch it up with. Jaune, coming out of his shock right after, ripped off the sleeve of his sweatshirt and began wrapping it around her arm without a word. From closer up, the wound didn't even seem to go past the middle of her forearm, but he wrapped to her elbow just in case.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked, being the first to break the silence once more. She had been grunting in pain, but that didn't really count.

"My Aura should be healing this. Why isn't it healing this?" Weiss muttered to herself, ignoring his question. Jaune remained silent, guilty, and worried. She reached out with her other hand, only for nothing to happen. "I can't make my glyphs…" The heiress turned back to him, chasing him to flinch. "What did you do to me?"

"It's my scythe. It… It takes away a person's semblance- only temporarily!"

"Wha- How is that-?"

"I don't know, but we should go back now." At this, Weiss wobbled up and pushed him away, picking up her rapier off the ground.

"No! I can fight with my other hand! You're not getting out of this fight, damn it." With her covered in blood, she was actually a little scary. Come to think of it, he was covered in some blood to.

"This is crazy! I'm not gonna fight you like this. It's not fair!" Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"You're right."

"I'm glad you came to your-"

"Now it's your turn to get cut."

"Yeah, it's- Wait wha- Ahh!" In the span of a second, Weiss has picked up the Scythe and slashed it across his exposed arm.

The health bar at the bottom of the screen flashed and felt monetarily woosy. The first time since his arrival at Beacon.

 **Error: GamerType=Null  
** **Rebooting Systems.**

 **[OK]**

The message flashed away and Jaune suddenly felt an anger. And anger he hadn't thought he'd ever feel. It was that irrational anger that seemed to overcome Ruby, the one that made him blame Weiss for all his troubles despite what he knew of her life so far. This anger that had been building since the moment they met.

This anger was built on by a new sense of false pride. This pride was telling Jaune that, yes, he deserved his position as leader, and yes, Weiss needed to pay for challenging it. This pride fueled his self worth and for the first time all night, Jaune stood tall, a fire in his eyes.

Jaune's fiery eyes met Weiss' slightly crazed ones as he pulled out his sword and shield. The two of them shifted into their combat stances smoothly, with only a hint of desperation to their movements. Without a word, they charged, the battle born anew.

As it turned out, a Weiss that used her nondominant hand and lost a decent amount of blood was a good matchup for an emotionally uninhibited Jaune. The ebb and flow of the battle was much more akin to that of normal hunter battles, back and forth between the two, but never really tipping in anyone's favor. Had this been a simple, no hold bars match, Jaune might've had a chance.

Whenever he got close, though, Weiss disregarding her personal safety and exploded a dust crystal in his face. She'd then use the distraction as an opportunity to attack. The blast wasn't much of an issue, but the sudden onslaught after it certainly was. But, for a long while, that's how the fight continued. Each contestant using everything in their power to try and best the other. Long past talking things out, the two teammates were brutal to each other.

Cuts and bruises built up at a steady pace for each of them, every one fueling their rage and desire to go even further. Any other day, here's where they would've called it quits, but the heiress and the leader continued on in a sweat, not giving an inch to each other. Finally, after what could've been hours or mere minutes, the ebb beat out the flow.

After yet another explosion in his face, Jaune roundhouse kicked through the debris, intent on finally attack before she did and gaining control of the battle. Acting on instinct, Weiss raised her right arm to block, having Jaune directly kick her wound. The cry of pain caused Jaune to snap out of his anger momentarily, as he looked to make sure she was okay.

The cry of pain quickly turned into one of anger, and Weiss seized the moment to gain the upper hand. Ignoring her pain, she barreled into her leaders figure, pushing him down to the ground. He dropped his sword but raised his shield, and she went crazy on it, smashing and smashing and smashing on his shield like her life depended on it. Each consecutive blow lessened in ferocity, but Jaune was too sore at this point to notice.

"I'll end you!" Weiss shouted, the desperation evident in her voice. It seemed that Jaune matching her in power was too much for her to handle and now having him finally defeated was a godsend. "Just stay down already!" Point blank at his shield, Weiss aimed her rapier and fired.

 _ **BOOM! SHNG!**_

Weiss fell back slightly as the sound of dust exploding was followed by the sound of ice forming. When the dust cleared, a block of ice stood where Jaune once was, solid and stern. The adrenaline within Weiss started to wane and she walked over to the ice block clutching her wounded arm.

Jaune's head was frozen staring up at the stars, between a look of surprise and pain- one that Weiss could stare at all day. But she relented, and using Myrtenaster, broke his head free.

"Do you surrender?" The heiress asked, the exhaustion finally getting to her voice. Jaune sighed.

"What else am I supposed to do?" He questioned pathetically. He'd lost. The fact wasn't yet sinking into him. The confidence he had gained while fighting Weiss made it nearly impossible for him to admit defeat, at least to himself.

"Just say it." Weiss insisted while subconsciously pointing her sword at his head. He eyed the weapon carefully.

"I… I surre- Argh! I can't. Please, don't make me."

"Say it."

"But-"

"Say it!" She was starting to get pissed, and fear had begun to overcome his pride.

"Alright fine. I… I surren- Ursa! Look out!"

"God damnit, Jaune! Just say you- Ugh!" Just as he said, Jaune winced as an Ursa- major, from the looks of it- smashed a sudden paw into Weiss, sending her flying into a nearby tree. He would have warned her sooner, but his position facing upwards made him unable to see the danger until it was too late. Though, the fact that neither of them heard it probably had something to do with just how out of it each of them were.

Ignoring all that, Jaune closed his eyes and readied himself to be eaten. But no pain ever came. Instead, the Ursa Major turned to Weiss trying to orientate herself, and calmly continued its walk in her direction. Maybe it had something to do with her stronger emotions at the moment? It didn't really matter, and frankly Jaune didn't really care. All he knew was that he was alive, Weiss was about to not be, and there was nothing was nothing he could do to stop it.

It wasn't like he didn't try to escape as Weiss bounced around, just barely missing the Ursa's claws. Jaune genuinely did, however he didn't have many options. His legs were frozen-tucked in the air, so he couldn't break the ice with his super jump- it was a super jump not a super 'kick'- nor was he able to get out by sheer force, and… That was about it. This was what ends up happening when you don't have many skills at your disposal. If only he had been able to learn the fire skill. Then Jaune would've not only been able to escape, but also kill the Ursa with ease.

All of a sudden, Jaune had an idea.

When Jaune learned a skill, it was usually because he was actually already doing it, but the game hadn't picked it up yet, like detecting lies or sensing danger. Jaune already knew how to do all that stuff, the game just didn't show him until he actively thought about doing those things. By that logic, multiplied to the extreme, Jaune already knew every single power he possible could, but hadn't yet activated them. And if that was true, then in order to gain the fire skill, he'd just have to _use_ fire.

Now how did he do that?

On a whim, Jaune began trying to visualize the fire in his hands burning away the ice. It did nothing, but Jaune kept at it. He tried to imagine every single individual flame sprouting up from his hand and melting away the ice. Still, nothing.

As he practiced his mental exercise, Weiss was having a much harder time on her feet. She'd run out of dust- not that it did any good anyway- and things were starting to look dire. The Ursa's strikes started hitting closer, faster, and it all around felt like the giant Grimm was playing with her- and now it was beginning to get bored.

In vain, Jaune continued to try and summon fire from nothing. Wasn't a power, item, or person of significance supposed to come to the hero in his time of need? He wasn't saying he was a hero, but… Wasn't he? The Game sure made it seem so. Actually, the game treated him like garbage, who was he kidding?

Jaune's hand started to sweat, but he didn't notice.

Come to think of it, the reason he was in this mess was because of the game! He didn't want the title of leader, but he couldn't give it to Weiss because the Game threatened to kill him!

Now his hands felt really sweaty, but he continued to ignore it.

Ever since he'd started the game, he'd been treated like shit. All because of that 'New Game Plus' bullshit. Hell, if it wasn't for that, he would have fire powers right now, and he wouldn't be in this mess! And now Weiss, a person he never truly wanted to hurt, was about to be killed and he was sat here doing nothing. This was bullshit. This entire game was bullshit!

Straining his sight to catch a glimpse of Weiss, he watched as the Ursa final caught up to her and knocked her into another tree. This time, the heiress didn't move after landing. Then his semblance finally came back.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Rage**

 **[OK]**

"No, fuck that! I'm not letting this stupid ducking game take away the only shred of pride I've had since I got to Beacon! I'm angry and there's nothing the game can do it about it!" Jaune shouted aloud, catching the attention of the Ursa Major. Staring the Grimm directly in the eyes, Jaune continued. "You, son of a bitch! This ends now!" And with that, Jaune burst into flames.

Immediately, pop ups came to signify that Jaune had learnt a skill or two, but he completely ignored them, instead focusing in on the Ursa Major across from him. It was clear the Grimm wanted to have an intimidation off, but Jaune didn't even give him a chance, not even observing the Ursa before he started his charge. The Ursa roared, Jaune shouted, and a flaming hand connected directly with the Ursa's mask.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The Ursa Major had finally gotten a taste of its own medicine, slamming backwards into a tree so hard, the plant nearly collapsed on top of it. The Grimm groaned with a cracked mask, trying to get its bearings, and Jaune was filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Now just another strike, and the Ursa would be done for.

At that moment, Jaune's fire disappeared. Fear instantly filled the hesitant team leader, and he immediately pulled up his health stats.

 **HP: 134/200 (+22 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 1643/2800 (+22 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 0/280 (+11 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

Zero MP?! What good was that skill if he could only attack once? What was one punch supposed to do to an enemy?! Looking up from his stats revealed the Ursa right upon him, and Jaune nearly pissed his pants.

But then, something… Strange happened. Instead of being mauled by a furious Ursa Major, Jaune was… Completely fine. Not dead, and not even hurt in the slightest- at least, from the Grimm. No, instead, he was simply awestruck, as the sight he witnessed was unlike any other he had seen.

A Beowolf, one so huge it nearly crushed the Ursa Major under it, pounced on said Grimm and started tearing at it. Viciously turning its fellow Grimm into pieces. Out of nothing but sheer morbid curiosity, Jaune observes it.

 **Name: Gary**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 5873/5900**

 **[OK]**

At seeing the name 'Gary,' Jaune couldn't help but get a sense of familiarity about the whole situation. Not that giant Beowolves mauling Ursa Majors happened often around him. When the monstrous creature final finished its kill- the Ursa Major was a nasty one that just wouldn't stay down- Gary looked directly at Jaune. This time, Jaune engages in the Grimm's antics.

For a long while, the two looked at each other, not moving a muscle. Any and all tension from the situation seemed to disappear, and Jaune didn't even feel like he was in any danger. Finally, as if Gary heard a timer go off that Jaune didn't, the Beowolf turned away and ran back into the forest from whence it came. Just like that, it was gone. And just like that, Weiss woke up. Instantly, Jaune ran to her, forgetting the 'Beowolf' experience entirely.

"Wha- What happen to the Ursa?" His teammate asked groggily.

"Don't worry, Weiss. It's gone now." Jaune reassured.

" _You_ killed it?" Even in such a state, Weiss could still put disbelief in her voice. It almost made him laugh.

"Well, sort of." The gamer confessed. Technically, it wasn't him, but he wasn't gonna bother explaining the giant Beowolf to her. Suddenly, Jaune nearly toppled over as a pair of arms wrapped around him. It took him a bit to realize, but Weiss… Weiss was hugging him!

"Thank you…" She whispered in his ear. Together, hugging, Jaune stood the two of them up, and Weiss immediately released him with a blush. "If you tell anyone about that, I'll kill you." The heiress threatened bashfully, making Jaune chuckle.

"Well, you're the leader now, so you can order me to not tell anybody." Weiss' brow furrowed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Our battle, you won fair and square. Though I didn't want to say it before, I _am_ a man of my word. I surrender." As Weiss' face scrunched in displeasure, Jaune looked away. Being reminded of his own failure- though he took it well- still hurt him.

Ignoring all that, Jaune started to make his way back to the Beacon, leaving the clearing. Before he left entirely, he heard Weiss call out to him.

"You-! You can beleder…" Jaune turned.

"Huh? What was that last part?" Weiss huffed and hurried to catch up with him.

"I said… You can be… Leader…" Jaune's eyes widened.

"Say again."

"You can be leader! Dammit, don't make me say it a fourth time." Jaune's shock then turned into a grin.

"Does this mean we're friends now?" At this, Weiss scowled.

"No, definitely not." Seeing his face, she continued. "But… I suppose we could be friends… Eventually!" she exclaimed that last part and Jaune smiled.

"I'd like that."

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Fight for Leadership**

 **Secret Objective Completed: Save Weiss from a Grimm  
**

 **Objective One Failed: Beat Weiss Schnee in the fight**

 **Failure Avoided: Death/Loss of Leader status/Mauling by Ursa**

 **Reward: Ability to remain the leader of team JWLR  
** **Secret Reward: +1 Level, +20 Bond with Weiss Schnee, +1 True Bond with Weiss Schnee**

 **[OK]**

* * *

3:42 AM. It was 3:42 AM when Jaune and Weiss finally got back to the dorm. He had been awake for a full twenty hours- Weiss, even longer. Normally, this wouldn't mean anything for Jaune, as Gamer's Body would keep him stable, but after temporarily losing his semblance, he couldn't help but feel a little tired. Tomorrow was the weekend, so it didn't matter if he slept until noon. Unfortunately, that wasn't what was he was focusing on.

Seeing the state Weiss was in- and then glancing in the mirror- made Jaune realize that sleep wasn't happening. The two of them were going to be up for the rest of the night. That thought made Jaune even more tired, but he shook it off. If Weiss could power through, so could he. As he thought that, though, the Team Leader sat down on his bed. All of a sudden, the pillows looked more comfortable than ever before, and Jaune wanted nothing more than to just-

"How do you like your coffee?" Weiss asked him before he nodded off into 'La la land.'

"Uhh… Two cream, one sugar. Why do you ask?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Because I'm making us coffee. Duh." She stated as if it was obvious.

"With one hand?" Jaune pointed out. The heiress flinched, finally realizing the pain she was in.

"I… I guess I could use a little help…" Weiss conceded, clutching the arm he wrapped a piece his sweatshirt around. Jaune just smiled.

"Don't worry, I got you covered." He glanced at his own wound, which had stained his undershirt in blood. "From the looks of things, we're gonna need all the coffee we can get."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

 **It's finally here! The moment we've all been waiting- And it's over. What a shame.**

 **Of course, my Beta's Macheddy and CasuallyPosting putting in some work this chapter, as always. CasuallyPosting recently published a new chapter of "In Which Jaune," so go check him out.**

 **Just a notice, there will be a small break in between this and the next chapter in order to better plan out the next arc of the story. Nothing less than the best for all of you.**

 **All of their wounds, Skills, pop ups, and such will be addressed in the next chapter, so don't worry about me skipping over information. I'll just let you theorize what everything means.**

 **Now onto Reviews.**

 **Who said no bonfire ability? Yes bonfire ability!**

 **Weiss and Jaune will not become friends immediately, the ending is just showing that Weiss' willing to give things a chance for once. I can assure you that the problems she caused within the team will not be suddenly disappearing.**

 **I also want to address Jaune's use of the Scythe, as it can be construed- especially from this chapter- that he's over powered with it. The fact that he can't properly** **use** **a scythe is the reason he isn't overpowered with the scythe. He's too big for it and doesn't have the proper body type to handle a weapon like the Scythe. The scythe, in itself, is inherently overpowered. If Ruby was to gain it, she would be able kill anybody in her way, meaning to or not. However, Jaune inability and unwillingness to use such a potentially dangerous weapon is the reason why it isn't over powered. Not to mention, one hit makes a Grimm go up by a level, so it's not exactly a weapon he'd be using at all times.**

 **Thank you for all the wonderful support and criticism. As always, you guys are awesome.**

 **Reviews welcome- they are the fuel to my fire- and until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	8. Unforeseen Consequences

Jaune's wounds were easy to hide. He'd already been seen to wear sweatshirts on his off time, so hiding his cut was no bother. Sure, one sleeve of his favorite sweatshirt had been ripped off and covered in blood, but he didn't mind too much. At least Weiss wasn't _dead_.

Speaking of the heiress, however, her wound was much harder to hide. For the most part, her outfit covered up the bandages that extended to her elbow, but it was the little bit that wrapped around her hand that presented a challenge. Nobody wanted to approach Weiss- for obvious reasons- so they came to the next best source, her team captain.

People wanted to know why the dreaded Ice Queen had seemed to finally warm up to Jaune, and why exactly she was hurt. And because this _was_ a school, rumors began to circulate. The first time he was confronted about it, Jaune simply replied, 'I have my ways,' with a proud smile. Not five minutes after using this excuse, Weiss came to him in anger.

"What's wrong?" He inquired.

"'I have my ways?' Really?" She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What's wrong with that?" Jaune asked, completely oblivious. "I assumed that you wouldn't want me to tell anybody."

"Y- You make me sound like a sl- a harlot!" Jaune's eyes widened. As it turned out 'kinky sex stuff' was high on the list of rumors going around, and Jaune's response had only gave credence to that idea.

"Oooooh!" She smacked him on the head once more.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?! What about my reputation?!" She was starting to get even madder, and Jaune needed to do something. He shrugged.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Weiss, but I don't know why you're mad. _I_ know you're not like that, and _you_ know you're not like that, so what does it matter that some random people _think_ you're like that? If they got to know you, they'd see exactly what I do. An elegant and refined woman, dedicated to become a huntress." Jaune spoke confidently and without hesitation, nearly making Weiss blush- _nearly_. He was laying it on a bit thick, but it seemed to be working regardless. Her rage disappeared and she gained a somewhat thoughtful expression.

"I… Suppose you're right." She acknowledged. "But don't do it again." The heiress quickly added.

"Never again." He agreed instantly.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

Jaune smiled. Maybe things were finally going his way.

* * *

Things were _not_ going his way. He should've known by not that any optimism he displayed would just screw him over in the long run. But it wasn't like constantly being cynical could help Jaune either, sarcasm made things worse as well. Though, if he thought getting Weiss to tolerate him would be the end of his problems, he had another thing coming.

Ever since the fight, Ruby had been a bit off. Jaune wasn't stupid enough to think Weiss and Ruby would instantly become friends, but despite his pleas to both girls, things only got worse between them. The insults and shouting matches escalated, and the spars between them were _not_ pretty.

The biggest surprise out of this, however, was that Weiss wasn't the problem. Jaune asked the heiress to try to make amends with her partner, and on multiple occasions, he witnessed just that. Yet on every instance, Ruby rejected these advances and belittled Weiss for even attempting so. With some left over confidence from the fight, Jaune knew he had to step in as the leader.

"Ruby, we need to discuss something." Jaune finally started the conversation during his training. He didn't really know why they were still training, but he wasn't complaining.

"About Weiss." Ruby answered. She already knew what this was about. Which was good… Hopefully.

"Yeah." They had just finished up for the night, and now stood staring at each other awkwardly. "Why-?"

"Why did you forgive her?" The reaper cut him off, making him flinch. "After what she said, what she did?"

"Well, she didn't actually _do_ much, and for what she said… Her words were hurtful, but they were just that, words." Jaune reasoned.

"Even so. You can't just ignore it. At the very least, she should earn her forgiveness, not be handed a clean slate." Ruby voice was cold, as it normally was when defending her sister. He would never say it allowed, but it kinda reminded him of Weiss.

"I agree, your right." Jaune quickly said, latching onto any shared ground that he could. "She shouldn't 'be handed a clean slate,' and if you got that impression, I'm sorry. But… She does need to repent somehow, and it's a little hard for her to do so when you insult her every time she tries. I know it doesn't seem like it, but she's actually nice when you get to know her." Ruby shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. Hard labor, destroyed possessions, I could think of more than a few tortures to help in rehabilitation." Jaune took an unconscious step back. "And don't give me that 'nice' shit. Everyone can be nice if they want to be. What counts in actually _being_ nice in the first place."

"Torture? Don't you think that's a little much? And maybe she wasn't nice because… She's been through things that caused her to be that way. I wouldn't know, but it's possible. It's also possible that's she's been through the same things you have, and the two of you might be able to bond over that." It was a bit of a stretch, and judging on each girl's relationship with their sister, Jaune was fairly sure they had nothing in common, but it was an attempt. And based on the fiery look in Ruby's eyes, it was a poor one.

 **-7 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 16/200**

 **[OK]**

Ah fuck.

"She has no idea what I've been through and neither do you! If you think that pampered bitch has even _witnessed_ anything close to my struggles, than you're just as stupid as her! I've had to deal with people like her, and people like her never change! So yeah, I'd torture her before I'd be her friend, and if you stick with her long enough, you'll want to as well!" This was getting out of hand. What happened to the Ruby that just wanted to be everyone's friend? The socially awkward one, bad at talking to new people. The one willing to spend all weekend searching for Blake when the faunus ran off. Wait what?

"Now you're being unreasonable." Jaune retorted, an annoyed edge to his voice. "Weiss is nothing like you say she is, and if you'd give her a chance, maybe you'd know that!" He shouldn't have raised his voice, but the tension in the room was getting to him.

 **-6 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 10/200**

 **[OK]**

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I let history repeat itself, so don't even try to convince me otherwise!" Suddenly, she stopped, as if realizing that their yelling was getting them nowhere. "Fine. I see how it is." Jaune was thrown for a loop.

"What are you talking about?"

"Weiss will stab you in the back the first chance she gets, Jaune. I promise you that. So, you either trust me… Or you're with her. Which is it going to be?" The team leader scoffed.

"Are you kidding me? You'd end our friendship over _Weiss_? Can't you see how crazy you're acting?" If it wasn't for the pop up, he wouldn't have noticed her flinch at his words.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 9/200**

 **[OK]**

"Me or her." Ruby repeated.

"Good friends don't give each other ultimatums." Jaune pointed out. Another flinch.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: 8/200**

 **[OK]**

"Choose." She insisted. He took a deep breath.

"I'm not gonna turn my back on Weiss, not after how far she's come. Maybe once you realize this, we can go back to how we were." Jaune said finally. If she was going to be like this, there was nothing he could do about it. The briefest look of betrayal on her face nearly made him take everything he said back, but he held strong. A second later, Ruby walked away without a word.

 **-10 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: -2/200**

 **[OK]**

Regaining himself, Jaune sat down on the stands with his head in his hands. _She_ was being unreasonable. _She_ wasn't acting like a friend should. _He_ was in the right in this situation.

So why did _he_ feel so horrible inside?

* * *

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 4 EXP: 383/800  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 400/400 (+22 HP Every Minute for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 2800/2800 (+22 AP Every Minute)  
** **MP: 280/280 (+11 MP Every Minute)**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-**

 **STR: 21  
** **DEX: 15  
** **INT: 14 (12+1+1)  
** **WIS: 11  
** **END: 18 (19-1)  
** **CHA: 20 (17+3)  
** **LCK: 14 (10+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 13**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Equipment-**

 **Right Hand Weapon: [Crocea Mors]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Money-**

 **Lien: 356  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Bonds-**

 **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 11/200- Considers you a friend**

 **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: -4/200- You'll come around… Eventually**

 **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend**

 **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: 2/200- Doesn't hate you, much**

 **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 16/200- Sees potential in you**

 **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: 4/200- Almost considers you a friend**

 **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 3/200 Sees the possibility of friendship in you**

 **[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

Both Yang's and Ruby's Bond had decreased by the time Jaune next checked the following morning. Ruby hadn't even come back to the dorm, instead sequestering herself in Team PBNY's room. He supposed it was only natural that Yang woulld dislike him for his fight with Ruby, but that rational didn't make it hurt any less.

"Jaune, I heard what happened yesterday. Are you alright?" Pyrrha interrupted his thoughts. There it was! Jaune had been expecting this question since the moment he got to the sparring room, but instead of letting her ask it, he threw himself headlong into their fight. Now, after getting his ass kicked, Pyrrha finally asked the dread question.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. What even made you ask that question?" His voice strained, and he didn't even need to see the pop up to know his lie had failed.

"I nearly killed you today. Normally you show impressive amounts of restraint and forward thinking, but today there was barely any. The number of times I could have delivered a fatal blow in response to your aggressiveness was uncanny." Didn't he know it. The last few days had him more emotional than he'd ever been since making it to Beacon. Didn't he have a skill for this exact type of problem? And speaking of Gamer's Mind, where the hell was it yesterday during his argument with Ruby. Having a clear head then could have really done some wonders.

"I appreciate your concern, but it's nothing to worry about. Really." Jaune shook off her concern. It was nice and all, but this was his problem to deal with.

"Even so, you shouldn't bottle things up like that. I find that it always helps when someone talks out their problem with another."

"This is more of a team thing." Jaune insisted.

"I _am_ a fellow team leader. Why don't you tell me about it, and I'll say how I would approach the situation." She suggested.

"I wouldn't want to bore you. It would take too long to explain"

"I have all the time in the world." At this, he growled. Yes, actually growled. Had he not been so annoyed right now, Jaune might've stopped to question what sane and rational human would do such a thing.

"Pyrrha-!"

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Anger**

 **[OK]**

In an instant, the rage Jaune didn't even know he felt drained from his body, leaving him completely calm. Oh, _now_ it wanted to kick in. Better late than never, Jaune supposed. Taking the moment, however, the leader of Team JWLR composed himself.

"Pyrrha, I really don't want to talk about the fight right now, as it's still a little raw in my memory. I get that you're only trying to help, but I need to deal with this stuff on my own. If I do end up needing help, I promise, you're the first person I'll go to. Until then, let's just get breakfast. Okay?" With his explanation out in the air, Pyrrha actually smiled.

"Of course, Jaune. I'll always be here if you need me." And like that, the situation was over. If only something similar could have happened with Ruby- Jaune shut that train of thought down quick. What's done was done, and thinking about what he could have done differently would only make him feel worse.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Jaune didn't have much of an appetite that day. Not that he ever did, with Gamer's Body, but the point still stands. Looking around, he instantly noticed something was off from normal. It took him a bit, but finally, it clicked in his mind. Yang and Ruby were sitting at a different table. Again, this was expected, but... Yeah.

Only when Pyrrha sat down next to him did he gain any real company. Though, not much of a conversation was had between the two of them. Ruby was usually the chatty one of the group- once she got comfortable enough. So, to occupy his mind, the team leader let his eyes wander. It just so happened that everytime he did so, his eyes wandered back to Ruby's table.

He managed to meet Yang's eyes one of these times, but nothing came of it. She just stared back at him with an unreadable expression for a while, before turning back to entertain Ruby some more. Seeing this, Pyrrha finally spoke up.

"Yang isn't really mad at you." Pyrrha clarified. "She's supporting her sister because they're family, but she's not mad."

"I know." Jaune responded. The bond told him as much, though it did help to hear it from another person. He was unable to express his gratitude, however, when Weiss approached their table.

"May I sit?" The Ice Queen all but asked. Jaune actually smiled. If there was one good thing coming out of this, Weiss' turnaround certainly made him feel better.

"Of course." Like a gentleman, he moved over on the bench to give her a place to sit.

 **-1 Bond with:  
** **Ruby Rose  
** **Bond LV: -5/200**

 **[OK]**

Okay, _that_ _one_ he understood. Not bothering to look over, he could practically feel the eyes burning into his skull. The three ate in silence a bit longer, then Weiss had something to say.

"I heard about what happened yesterday…" She began, making Jaune scoff.

"Beacon's really got the fastest rumor mill in the world, huh?" Weiss ignored his comment.

"I don't know exactly what the fight was about, but if it was about what I think it was, then-"

"Don't say it." Jaune cut her off. "You can be as thankful as you want, but saying it will only make me feel worse." She paused, then nodded.

"Right." The heiress said simply, turning back to eat in silence.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

Dodging to the left, Jaune just barely avoided the mace strike. Where he once was, a dent in the ground. His shield had already been knocked away, leaving Jaune incapable of blocking. What was his health at now?

 **HP: 400/400 (+22 HP Every Minute for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 782/2800 (+22 AP Every Minute)  
** **MP: 44/280 (+11 MP Every Minute)**

Oh, nearly in the red. Goody. The fire punch did some good damage on his opponent, but his magic wasn't coming back fast enough to do it again. Speaking of which, where was his opponent at?

 **HP: 4000/4000  
** **AP: 5630/6000**

Still well into the green, absolutely perfect. What was even better was that a majority of the damaged he'd done had come from his elemental punch, and the rest was just luck. Jaune might be able to go toe to toe with someone like Weiss, but as he learned today, Jaune had nothing on people like Cardin Winchester. He dreaded to think what would happen if he ever fought Pyrrha.

The next mace strike was obviously broadcasted, allowing Jaune to duck under it and- Oof!

Without missing a beat Cardin changed tactics to deliver a nasty uppercut right to Jaune's chin. Naturally, Jaune went flying.

The pain lingered a little longer than usual as Jaune groaned on the ground, watching as the menace that was Cardin approached ever closer. Mace raised, Cardin prepared himself to finish Jaune, then… Nothing. Cardin lowered his mace and glanced at the scoreboard. Jaune was clearly in the red.

"Uh… Ms. Goodwitch? Are you going to call the match now?" The leader of Team CRDL directed his attention to the teacher, giving Jaune a chance to collect himself and stand.

The teacher in question jumped a bit in her seat, as if not expecting to be called on. Pulling her hand from 'somewhere,' she grabbed her scroll and fiddled with it, signalling the end of the match. Then she grabbed her riding crop, straightened her skirt, and approached the combatants.

"That- huff- Was an excellent match, boys." Glynda panted. "Mr. Winchester, your technique needs some work, but you used your advantages over Mr. Arc to the fullest, securing you the match." Ms. Goodwitch turned to Jaune, a small smile on her face. "Mr. Arc, while you performed admirably, you failed to adapt to Mr. Winchester's style. Out in the world, there are people of all kinds, and you must be able to mold yourself to any situation if you wish to be a hunter."

"I understand." Jaune accepted her criticism, but his teacher wasn't done.

"Aside from that, your use of burn dust to create a surprise fire punch was _excellent_. While it won't be a surprise in combat anymore, I do suggest you continue down the dust route." He nodded, and she dismissed them. "Now, you boys go get cleaned up for your next class."

"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch." The two team leaders chorused.

"Oh, and Jaune?" Glynda called out to him as he headed to the locker room. "If you ever need _extra help_ , I'd be _more_ than willing to _help_." Her voice lowered a bit in pitch and volume, and she santured away without another word.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Glynda Goodwitch  
** **Bond LV: 3/200**

 **[OK]**

Jaune found it a little weird that he gained a bond with her while getting his ass kicked, but he wasn't complaining. Right now, he could use all the friends he could get.

* * *

While the spar helped to clear his mind for a little bit, all the bad thoughts came pouring back in the shower, leaving Jaune just as much of a mess as he was entering Ms. Goodwitch's classroom. Jaune became so preoccupied in his own thoughts, that he didn't notice Cardin approach him as he slid his socks on.

"Hey, good match today." The goliath of a teenager started the conversation awkwardly. Jaune laughed at this.

"Really? You don't have to lie. I know I was crap today." Cardin chuckled along hesitantly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah… Well, you seemed distracted, so how _could_ you do your best?"

"Oh. You heard what happened? The rumor mill gets around." Jaune said blankly, but Cardin shook his head.

"No no no, I stay away from that gossip shit. Unlike most people in this school, I came to be a warrior, not to get involved in pointless love triangles." Jaune grunted his agreement, signalling Cardin to go on. "I have no idea where your head's at right now, and I won't try to guess, but if you want advice, I'm your guy."

"Advice? What do you mean?" Jaune inquired.

"Whenever I was in a bad stop in life, I would always try and find a project to focus on. Something to channel my thoughts and emotions into. It may not work for you, but when I saw you enter Goodwitch's class, I figured you could use some help. I guess you could say, you reminded me… Of me."

"Uh… Thanks?"

"I'm not trying to be insulting here, just trying to give you something to think on." Cardin clarified before turning away. "I'll see you in Port's class."

"See ya." Jaune said his farewells as Cardin walked out of the locker room. An interesting encounter for sure, but… Not necessarily a bad one.

On his way to Port's class, Jaune thought on Cardin's words, and wondered just what would be time consuming enough to distract him. It couldn't be quick and easy, as that would just bring him back to where he was now in barely any time. It couldn't be impossible either, lest he fall into a completely different pit of despair for being unable to achieve his goal.

Not paying attention, Jaune accidentally walked into his partner when he arrived in Port's class. Everyone else was seating themselves, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Sorry Ren." Jaune said casually, to which Ren ignored him. This brief interaction, however, caused Jaune to think a bit about his partner.

Sure, right now Jaune was dealing with some friendship troubles, and yes, it sucked. But Ren was struggling with a crush. Something Jaune knew from experience to be even worse. From what he gathered, Yang and Pyrrha would help make Ruby come around, but Ren? He was on an island with no help in sight, forced to either suffer in solitude or risk it all out at sea. Kinda tragic, if you thought about it. But then again, weren't all love affairs tragic?

Uh… Apparently, in his messed up state of emotions, Jaune had now become a poet. A little strange, but he was just trying to say that Ren looked like he could use some help.

 **Quest Available:  
** **The Ultimate Wingman**

 **Objective One: Set up a date between Lie Ren and his crush**

 **Time: Three Days**

 **Reward: +5 Bond with Lie Ren, +5 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +5 Bond with Nora Valkyrie, +3 INT, +3 WIS**

 **Failure: -5 Bond with Lie Ren, -5 Bond with Blake Belladonna  
** **Failure to accept Quest: None**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

The quest floated in front of Jaune for a good while before he accepted it. His advice for Ren back in the forest was going to be, just do it, and admit his feelings to Blake. If all that Ren said had been true, Jaune was positive Blake would accept him, or at least, not fault him for liking her.

There was something to be said for meddling in other people's love lives, but that didn't really apply here, did it? Friends helped out friends all the time, especially in matters like this, so what was the harm? Well, the harm was the potential drop in bonds, and- by proxy- the potential loss of more friends. He wasn't exactly close with Blake, Ren, or Nora, but the thought of having another 'Weiss'- or now 'Ruby'- type situation made him shiver. Well, it was no matter. He just wouldn't fail.

Not if his life depended on it.

* * *

 **Poor Jaune, it seems like everyone is falling apart around him, and he's no different. He's a little all over the place in this chapter, but anyone that's been in his position before knows how much of an emotional rollercoaster getting into a fight with a friend can be. Well, at least he's got a quest to distract himself with.**

 **The chapter came out a lot shorter than I thought it would, but it gets done what it needs to get done. I suck at writing filler, and that's basically what this chapter is. Don't worry, though, the next chapter is gonna be fun, and definitely longer than this one.**

 **In unimportant news, I nerfed Jaune's regeneration from every ten seconds to every minute. It really doesn't have much of an impact on the story, as I really wasn't factoring the element in too much. Other than that,** **I'm surprised nobody picked up on the "True Bond" thing from the last chapter. Well, I suppose the mystery stays a mystery.**

 **On to reviews.**

 **A few people were confused as to the outcome of the fight, so I'll just make it clear. Jaune lost the battle, but Weiss decided he could continue being Team Captain. (I was a little worried about this chapter, mainly because of Ruby's unexplained- but assuredly will be explained- anger towards Weiss, but it seems I've picked up quite a few Weiss haters, so I think things'll be fine.)**

 **In the show, Winter _was_ the only person who had a positive relationship with Weiss. But this isn't the show, so who knows why things are the way they are... (Laughs maniacally.)**

 **And that's about it. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck around to see this fic through, despite having to wait almost a month for a new chapter. We're only eight chapters in, and this is already my second most popular story. The next few arcs have been planned, as well as the next few chapters, so as long as there aren't outside complications, the fic should be getting back on schedule.**

 **I hope you all enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing for it.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	9. Cat Woman

The quest had been set, the pieces were in place, now… he needed to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

Seriously, though, his only objective was to 'set up a date between Lie Ren and his crush.' Not much to work off, there. Taking the night to think about, Jaune woke up at 6:30 AM without a clue where to begin.

There, of course, was the immediately problem of setting up the date just to start. What would they do? Go to a fancy restaurant, a nice picnic, a club? And was he supposed to _pay_ for all that? Well actually, that wasn't much of a problem, as he raked in cash for even the most menial of tasks- something the game was actually good for.

There was a bigger problem at hand, however. That being, how was he going to get Blake to agree to anything? Judging by what he'd glanced off of her during their grinding session, she didn't seem like one to go on 'dates.' Ren, he wasn't worried about, confident that his partner would agree to the date in a heartbeat. He needed Blake's approval before he could proceed any further.

"Oh! Hello, Blake." Speak of the devil and she shall appear. As Jaune exited the dormroom to possibly get some breakfast- not that he needed it- he spotted Blake quietly shutting the door to Team PBNY's room. "What are you doing up so early?"

The girl in question seemed to dress differently than usual. Along with her combat gear, she wore a black jacket, abnormally covering for what she normally wore. It was almost as if she was wearing armour, or a disguise, or both.

"Jaune, uh… Hi." Blake greeted bluntly, lowering her voice significantly. "I was… Just heading to catch the first Bullhead to Vale. There's… 'stuff' I have to take care of." Completely missing her tone of voice, Jaune smiled.

"You know, I haven't actually explored the city yet, despite being here for a while. I should do that someday… Wait, don't we have to go to class?" He asked the ninja girl.

"It's saturday." She reminded him.

"Really? It's been a whole week since-" He stopped himself from mentioning his fight with Weiss, glancing at Blake. "Anyway… I completely forgot, so I guess I don't have any plans today."

"Alright, well, I got to go now so-"

"You're going to Vale alone? What about your team?" She rolled her eyes.

"They're sleeping. Why do you think I'm whispering?" Jaune nodded in understanding, and the two fell into an uncomfortable silence. Sudden, though, Jaune got an idea.

"If they're not going, why don't I come with you?" Truly, he was the master of subtlety.

"Umm… I'm not going to be doing anything fun. You'll probably just get bored with me." Jaune waved her concerns off.

"Don't worry about that. Like I said before, I don't have any other plans today anyway." Blake bit her lip as Jaune stared at her hopefully. "We haven't hung out since our trip to the forest." He pointed out. Finally, she broke.

"Alright, let's go." She relented, making him beam. At his happiness, she scowled and started a march down the hall.

"Wait for me!" He called after her.

* * *

Not puking on the Bullhead really was a testament to how far he'd come. Every time there was a bump, he wouldn't even flinch, just continue to enjoy the view next to Blake. Speaking of which, the view of the city as the sun slowly came up around it was absolutely stunning. Blake gave him an odd look for ogling, but Jaune took it in stride.

"What, are you trying to make love to the city or something?" She asked dryly. Jaune smiled at her question. She hadn't needed to say anything, yet she did anyways. At the very least, this meant he wouldn't be getting the cold shoulder for the whole trip.

"Why, jealous much?" He replied jokingly, making her scoff and turn away. He did, however, catch a smile, which was only further confirmed by-

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

If the day progressed like this, Jaune would soon have no worries about the quest's penalties. Minus '5 bond' seemed a lot right now, but if he played his cards right, Blake would be far over '5 bond' by the time they had to get back to Beacon.

The Bullhead landed in Vale, but the spectacle had not yet ended. The buildings were a mix of old school and modern styles, some looking hundreds of years old and other only four. The arches and peaks met high only to cast long shadows covering the town. Especially with the older ones, he got the impression of Beacon, of a castle.

 **You have arrived at Vale. In your previous game, your first thought was:  
** ' **This… This is what I want.'**

 **[OK]**

Huh. Jaune must've been having a different conversation with himself the first time around. It made sense when he thought about it. His former self probably didn't get himself into a stupid fight with Ruby, and so, came to Vale with much different thoughts in his head.

Though, this wasn't actually the first time Jaune had been to the city. He distinctly remembered being here a few times during the night, in this backstreets and such. He'd never been out in the open before, watching the people rush to work as other calmly ate breakfast. Once again, the city struck him with something. And this time, it was significant amount of urban charm.

Unfortunately, Blake wasn't as struck by this 'charm' like he was. She couldn't seem to understand why he was so enraptured by architecture- not that he knew himself- and frequently had to stop her march forward once she realized he wasn't by her side. Pretty quickly, she got tired of this, and snatched a hold of his hand like a toddler to pull him right along.

No longer able to appreciate the works of art surrounding him, Jaune decided the best course of action was to start a conversation with Blake, which in hindsight, was what he should have been doing to begin with.

"So… What's your mother like?" Oof. Sometimes his conversation starters were to die for, and other times… Not so much. He inwardly cringed, but decided to roll with it.

"What?" Blake questioned, completely stuplified. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, what's your family like? You've never talked about them. At least, not with me." She stared at him a little more and he clarified. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought it'd be a way to kill the time."

"No," She sighed. "It's fine. I can tell you about them, I just wasn't expecting the question." The dark haired warrior thought to herself for a few minutes more before next answering. "My Mom is… 'Enthusiastic' about… 'Love.' She and my father go on frequent dates with each other. When not on her dates, though, my mom will usually be helping out with some sort of relief program in town."

"Really? She sounds nice."

"Yeah, she was always so understanding about things." Jaune paused.

"'Was?' Oh crap! I'm so sorry for bringing it up!" Blake just rolled her eyes.

"She's not dead, genius. I just haven't talked to her since coming to Vale." Blake assuaged Jaune's fears.

"Oh. Umm… Continue?" She shook her head, but did as he asked.

"If you met my dad, he'd probably seem like he'd want to kill you at first, but you'd soon realize that's just how he is." Jaune chuckled, but for a different reason than Blake thought. Her dad would want to kill him at first? Hell, _everyone_ wanted to kill him at first. Her dad would have to get in line.

"I get that." Jaune replied.

"So your dad's like that as well?" She inquired innocently. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"He- He…" Jaune tried to expand on her comment, but found himself for at a loss for words. For some reason, he simply couldn't remember how his dad acted. Had it really been that long since he'd left home? Or was it the sheer amount of things going on in his life?

"Are you okay?" They had stopped, and she was looking at him with concern. He simply shook it off.

"I don't remember." Answering the question she hadn't asked. Blake turned away from him and continued to drag him along.

"Ah… I'm sorry for your loss." She said without looking at him. Somehow, Jaune knew his father wasn't dead, but he didn't bother to correct his companion.

"Thanks." He responded instead.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 5/200**

 **[OK]**

At least that lightened up the mood a little. Luckily, however, they were able to completely shed the mood when they arrived at their destination mere moments later.

 **You have arrived at Tukson's Book Trade. In your previous game, your first thought was:  
** ' **So this is her smut dealer…'**

 **[OK]**

 **Line**

"You got the newest 'Ninja's of Love' book, right? I need it, _now_."

The shop was sparsely populated, with only a few Faunus browsing the rows. Jaune himself was looking through the comic book section, brief though it was. Well, he wasn't exactly _reading_ the comic books, and instead trying to eavesdrop on the conversation Blake was having with the shop owner, presumably, Tukson.

"We're out." Tukson replies in a gruff voice. "Sorry." He was a big man, tall and built, without what looked like a single ounce of fat on his body. What stuck out the most to Jaune, however, were his thick sideburns.

"What?!" Blake yelled, making a few of the resident readers flinch. "How could you be out? The book came out _today_!" Tukson continued to give her a blank look.

"Everything's either already been sold or pre ordered." He clarified, making her grin.

"So you _do_ still have copies, pre orders? I'll take one of those off your hands, double the price."

"No. That's how I lose customer loyalty. A preorder is a preorder. No exception." The large man explained before thinking of something. "Also, stop making such a scene. The only reason I haven't kicked you out by now is because you're a special case." Blake sighed.

"There really isn't anything I could do?" She asked finally. All of a sudden, Tukson's eyes gained a mischievous twinkle to them and his voice lowered

"Well… I could pull some strings- _if_ , you help me with a 'problem' I have." Jaune blinked.

Wait… Was Blake a prosti-

"No. I already told you, I'm done with that life." Tukson raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Then why'd you bring the jacket? It isn't exactly a cold day outside."

"I said no."

"Do you want the book or not?" The shop owner finally gave his ultimatum. Blake gritted her teeth.

"… Fine. Where do I need to go?" The B of Team PBNY finally broke and Tukson got serious.

"What about him?" The man gestures over to Jaune, still horribly trying to disguise his eavesdropping. "Do you trust him?" Blake paused a moment, thinking about it.

"Yeah." She ultimately replied. "I trust him." Tukson nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from under the counter.

"Thirty four Bayview Lane, Industrial District. Three dead over two weeks." Blake growled at the information. The conversation didn't sound sexual _at all_ now.

"It'll be done." Blake promised with conviction.

"Good. Since you're a woman of your word, I'll pay you in advance." Tukson stated, his sly grin returning as he pulled out a black wrapped book. Blake's eyes narrowed.

"You had one for me the entire time." It wasn't a question. Tukson shrugged.

"I needed you to agree to the job somehow, right?" She growled at him and snatched the book out of his hands.

"It'll be done." She repeated once more, this time, an edge to her voice. She then turned away from the counter, grabbed Jaune by the hand, and led him out the door.

"Go grab some lunch first!" Tukson called out before they left the shop. "Knowing you, I bet you didn't even have breakfast." Jaune saw Blake roll her eyes and she suddenly shifted directions, dragging him along.

"Blake? Uhh… What exactly just happened?" It was all a little overwhelming, occurring so quickly.

"Just be quiet and follow me." She ordered instead of answering his question.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He muttered, thought Blake heard him anyway.

"I warned you." The huntress pointed out. "It's too late to back out now." He laughed. Wasn't _that_ the motto of his life?

* * *

"Are you two a couple?" The waiter asked. He wore a brown outfit with a white apron labeled 'Vale's Coffee and Biscuit Shop.' Let it never be said that Vale didn't have clever names for their shops. The shop itself was small on the outside, a single door window shop with a staircase leading to some tables on the roof. Jaune would be lying if he didn't say the pastries looked delicious. He could eat them for hours, but it seemed Blake didn't want to wait that long.

"Yes we are. Four months now." The huntress answered before Jaune could speak, raising their hands which were still intertwined. Just then, the realization that they were _holding_ _hands_ the entire time hit him.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Embarrassment**

 **[OK]**

Sweaty palms out of the way, Jaune also realized exactly what Blake said.

"Wait wha-" His questioning was suddenly haunted by a sharp kick to side of the leg. "Four months and happy!" Jaune found himself agreeing. At their antics, the waiter beamed.

"Well, aren't you both adorable! Come right this way." He grabbed two small menus and led them up the stairs.

By now, the sun was fairly high in the sky, signaling it was almost noon. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day, and the surrounding buildings blocked out much of the wind, allowing the pair of hunters to enjoy lunch in peace. Jaune hadn't been expecting the new and exciting view of the buildings his vantage point now gave him, but he was more focused on his companion at the present moment.

"So…" He began.

"So." She repeated, turning a page in her new book. As soon as they sat down, she'd gotten right to reading.

"What was that whole… 'four months' thing?" She didn't even glance up.

"Couples eat half off here." Blake explained, emotionless. Jaune nodded in understanding.

"Ah… So you've done that before?"

"No." The response was instant, and she briefly looked up from her book. Their eyes locked. "I've never come here with other people before." She looked back down at her book and the moment was lost.

Silence reigned as they sat together, Jaune admiring the buildings and Blake continuing to read. Unlike before, however, it was a comfortable silence. One that only friends could share. Were he and Blake even friends yet? She, at least, wasn't _not_ his friend. He'd gotten her up to five bond, yet the description of their relationship remained the same.

 **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 5/200- Sees the possibility of friendship in you**

So she thought they would be friends. Or did she think they _could_ be friends? How come at five bond, they weren't friends, yet at four bond, he and Nora were? The bond system was supposed to help him keep track of his relationships, but it only served to make them more complicated. Ugh! Why was this so hard? Wasn't he supposed to be relaxing or something?

The silence felt less comfortable now.

Their ordering and gaining of food provided a momentary distraction- Blake ordered a blueberry muffin with tea, and Jaune ordered the same sans tea- but it didn't last long, leaving Jaune to squirm in his seat. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"What's the book about?" He asked suddenly. Blake inexplicably started to sweat.

"It's… Uh… About ninjas…" She explained thoroughly. Jaune rolled his eyes.

"I got that from the title. I mean, what is the book _about_?"

"It's… A 'romance' novel. I don't think you'd like it." The enfasis was clear, but as usual, Jaune missed it completely.

"Hey!" He complained. "I might mostly read comics, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate other literature!" Blake shook her head.

"Not _this_ literature."

"Try me." He challenged, offering his hand to take her book. A sudden amount of tension filled area as Blake considered what to do. Jaune held strong, however, weathering the storm. Eventually- or perhaps inevitably- Blake handed the book over.

'" _I love you, Setsuna." His voice filled with passion and commitment. The meer sound of it made her squirm in delight, the hot breath on her neck._

" _I- I love you too, Kokuro!" The Maiden shouted with conviction, unafraid who heard. She tried to draw him close, but Kokuro pulled away._

" _If that's true, there's… Something you should know about me…" Dread filled the air, like a dark presence surrounding them and filling their lungs._

" _What is it? You can tell me." Setsuna promised. She wanted nothing more than for there to be no secrets between the two of them._

" _There's a… Darker side to me. One that contains all my evilest thoughts. He's cunning, intelligent, and just as strong as I. I struggle everyday to contain him within. Oh, how could you ever love a man like me!" His voice was filled with anguish, but his partner simply smiled._

" _I'll show you how." She stated simply. With one hand she grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss, and at the same time with the other, unbuckled his pants to take out his large-'_

Jaune closed the book and coughed, handing it back to Blake. She looked at him expectantly, and he laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"On second thought… I think you were right. I'll just stick to my comics from now on." His flusteredness made the Belladonna smirk, and she simply gave him a nod as she went back to reading.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 6/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

"Thirty four Bayview Lane, Industrial District. This is the place." Blake recognized as the walked onto the lot. It was long abandoned, judging from vines that had grown over the fence surrounding the lot. However, it was clear that _someone_ was using the lot still, or otherwise there wouldn't have been a giant makeshift building in the middle of it.

"What now?" Jaune asked, trying to get clued in. The time was around three o'clock. Anymore of this, and this would be Jaune's whole day. Not that it was a bad thing, just something he realized.

"Now we see if anyone's home." She said as the two jumped the fence and approached the building. A closer look revealed, metal sheets wielded together to form the walls, something which would have taken a normal person forever. Unless, of course, someone had a semblance.

They reached what seemed to be the front door with little trouble, but before they could even touch the doorknob, the metal sheet bursted open from the inside. Trained as they were, Blake and Jaune both jumped backwards, arming themselves.

"Shit, I overslept!" Their threat mumbled to himself. "Maybe they'll forgive me if I give them these sandwiches." A large stack of sandwiches, carried out by a person of some sort, scuttled out from the building and went to close the door behind them.

Jaune cleared his throat. Instantly, the sandwiches were in the ground and the man behind them quickly reached for his knife. Blake was quicker though, knocking the weapon from his grasp, spinning him to face the wall, and pressing a sword to the back of his neck.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" The man yelled. Having said that, the aforementioned man was now revealed to be but a boy, no older than Ruby herself. The boy's mohawk was dyed green and he had a cutoff vest that Jaune had seen other people wearing.

"You're young." Jaune pointed out, with little relevance to the conversation. Clearly, this made the boy mad.

"I'm not young! I'm just as tough as anyone else! I'm with the Ironguard and the Ironguard only uses the best!" Blake had already started tying him up, making he boy struggles meaningless.

"The Ironguard, huh? They run this place?" She asked simply. There was a sharp cold edge to her voice that Jaune wasn't expecting. It was almost like she was a different person entirely.

"Yeah!" The boy responded with vigor, now fully tied up and dropped to the ground. "So you better leave before they come back, or you're going to regret it!" Blake raised an eyebrow towards her captive.

"So no one's here besides you?" The boy's eyes widened. It seemed he realized just what he implied. Both Jaune and Blake watched in real time as the boy in front of them had an internal panic and tried to think of anything to say. It was fascinating, to say the least.

"Shit." Eventually, he just gave up. Blake smirked and turned her attention elsewhere in the building. Jaune quickly followed suit.

The inside of the building was no less makeshift than the building itself. Couches that seemed to be picked up off the street, tables which were simply street signs bolted to wooden beams, and a myriad of faux wooden and metal furniture filled the main area of the house. As soon as they entered, Blake set herself to work and- throwing him an empty box- set him to work too.

"Collect anything of value in there." She commanded, making Jaune raise an eyebrow.

"We're… Looting this place?" He questioned scrupulously. The ninja shook her head.

"It's not for _us_." She clarified. That wasn't a no to the looting, but it somehow made him feel better about the process.

Jaune did as she told, checking over the living area and kitchen combo while Blake looted the bedrooms. Judging from the smell, he was glad that wasn't his task. Aside from the food- which he didn't image Blake meant by 'valuable'- these 'Ironguard people really didn't have much of worth. He managed to find a wallet or two along with an old metal trophy, but nothing more.

On an unrelated note, this was the first time he witnessed his 'Other Currency' counter go up.

 **Other Currency: 4 items (Value: 57 Lien)**

Once Jaune finishes his duties, the team leader sat on one of the few clean chairs and waited for Blake. She entered the kitchen just after he heard the sound of peeling metal from what he assumed to be a safe. He assumed so because she walked out of the building with a safe's worth of money and goods in her box. Not before, however, placing a fair few Dust crystals all around the house.

Blake then ordered Jaune to take their loot and bring it to the edge of the lot, along with their now unconscious fourteen year old prisoner. Jaune did as such, and stared in surprise as Blake drew her sword. She slashed as she ignited the fire dust within her weapon, sending a long streak of flames to hit the house all at once. Seconds later, it completely exploded, Blake walking away within looking back.

The two reconvened and Jaune gave her a look of mild bewilderment.

"You know, that reminds…" He began. "What the hell are we supposed to be doing right now?"

"I'll tell you later." Was her response. Considering he had just entered private property, looted a home, and blew up said home without even batting an eye, he should think so! What was even happening?

"Alright." Jaune resigned himself to the confusion, knowing that Blake would hold to her promise.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 7/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

Apparently, Blake's quest did not simply end with terrorist-like explosions. Instead, she was tasked with apprehending the rest of these 'Ironguard' their prisoner so fondly spoke of. At least, that's what Jaune pieced together on his own, as Blake wasn't exactly liberal with information right now.

Thankfully, Blake didn't have the two of them carry around all this money and prisoner for long because she soon exchanged everything for some information.

"Blakey, Baby! So good to see you again!" A bat Faunus with a cocky smile greeted while trying to hug Blake. She wasn't having it. "I thought you were done with all this business?" He stage whispered, gesturing to the body Jaune was lugging along. Blake rolled her eyes and gave him the money, having Jaune follow suit.

"You know what to do, Gordon. Just tell me where the rest of the Ironguard are now and I'll let you get to it." Her voice had the same edge as before, but slightly less so.

"Of course, of course. Just head north until you reach the docks. They'll be somewhere in that area. Turf War starting in a few hours, from what I heard. Stick to the rooftops and you'll be fine." He dismisses Blake, counting up all the loot with a grin. Blake nodded her thanks, grabbed Jaune, and walked away.

"Umm… What is that guy gonna do with the money?" Jaune thought a little more. "And with the kid?"

"Relax." The huntress soothed. "He'll be selling the items and giving the profits to Faunus families that need it the most. With the boy, Gordon will just interrogate him, them decide whether to give him to the police or let him go." Jaune was doubtful.

"Is he _really_ going to give up the money?" Blake shrugged.

"He could keep it for himself." She wagered, then her voice turned hard. "Though, he'd have to deal with _me_." Jaune smiled, not at Blake's threat, but rather at her commitment to… Well, whatever it was she was doing. He could tell, at least, that it revolved around Faunus. And if she felt strongly about that sort of thing, then so be it.

* * *

As the sun dropped lower into the sky and evening arrived to Vale, the Hunter Duo found their targets. Taking Gordon's advice, they sat on the rooftop of a nearby warehouse and watched the group from a safe distance. There were eighteen of them, all with various states of Mohawk-ness and ripped clothing. If it wasn't for the huge about of money Jaune had seen at the house, he would have almost confused them for actual poor people. And to his credit, there was a high likelihood the punks used that exact tactic to get more money from unsuspecting victims.

Beyond the Ironguard's appearance, though, Jaune could tell all the way from his perch that they were all nervous. The each tired to occupy themselves by either talking to each other or pacing, and even the stoic looking ones fidgeted from time to time. Blake insisted that they wait for something to happen, making Jaune himself fidget impatiently. A 'Turf War' was Gordon's explanation, but what exactly did that mean?

As if on cue, another gaggle of gangsters entered the scene.

These ones were certainly better dressed than the Ironguard- with a more varied hairstyle as well- but still managed to give off that signature menacing feel as they walked towards the opposing group. Their number looked roughly the same, but Jaune wasn't able to count it.

Next to him, Blake stirred from her resting position, and started creeping towards the epicenter of danger.

"What are you doing?!" Jaune whisper-yelled at her.

"Getting a closer look. I need to hear what they're saying." Blake whisper-yelled right back. Sighing, knowing that he really didn't have a choice, Jaune followed just behind. Speaking of be-

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

Right. Anyway.

As they crept closer to the two gangs, eventually hiding directly above them, Jaune was able to make out some words exchanged.

"-our town. You can't just come in here and act like you own the place. _You_ _don't_. And what's with the timing of the meeting? Why'd make us sit here for five hours?" A lanky eighteen year old asked from the Ironguard side. Presumably, he was the head of the group.

"A show of good faith, so that you could take the time to make sure we hadn't planted any traps. You see, unlike most employers, mine's willing to negotiate." A man from the other group responded with a confident grin. "This area _is_ yours, and it can _continue_ to be yours… So long as you pay the right price." The Ironguard members raises his chin.

"What did you have in mind?"

"They're coming to a deal…" Blake whispered to herself, though Jaune heard it. Unfortunately, that was the truth. The longer they sat here and listened, the more apparent it was that the older gentleman had the younger one wrapped around his finger.

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. "We should get out of here while we still can." At any point, a bored gangster could simply look up and spot the two of them. And with the threat of attack becoming less and less, their eyes started to wander more and more.

"We can't let this happen." Blake stated, completely ignoring him and standing up.

"What-" Before he could even finish his question, the ninja girl jumped off of the building, right into the middle of the meeting. "God damnit, Blake." He groaned with a facepalm.

"Who the hell are you?!" The Ironguard leader yelled in surprise. Everyone armed themselves, including Blake.

"A huntress." Her voice was back in that dark tone again. Jaune has to wonder how she did that so easily. At this, The mohawked man sneered.

"Heh. What are you gonna do, big bad huntress? Arrest us all?" He practically spit at her. Clearly, there was no lost love for Hunters in his life.

"That depends," Blake said, as calm and menacing as ever. "How do you feel about Faunus?" The leader of the Ironguard gained a confused look for a moment before his sneer returned with vigor.

"Fuck 'em!" The boy practically snarled. Blake then turned to the other, more properly dressed person.

"And you?" The man shrugged.

"I have some in my employ, but I don't really give a shit." Blake nodded to both these answers.

"Well, I suppose that settles it." The eighteen year old tried to open his mouth- presumably to ask 'settles what-' but not even a single syllable was let out before Blake launched herself at him in a spinning blaze of fury and swords.

As Blake fought the entire Ironguard by herself, the leader of the opposing group shrugged once more towards his companions.

"Eh… Fuck it. Negotiations are bullshit anyway. Attack!" The man cried as he charged into battle to support Blake, the rest of the gang at his heels.

"It seems I have no choice." Jaune claimed exasperated, picking himself up like Blake had before. "If I die, it's Blake's fault."

And with that, he jumped into the fray.

* * *

It was chaos. At least, compared to what he'd seen before. Most of his fights were one on one, orderly and methodical. There was one clear enemy and one clear goal. This… This was madness. Enemies were all around, being thrown left and right, sometimes charging him, and sometimes never noticing him at all. For the brief moment he was left alone, Jaune felt like spectator. As if he was watching his own life outside of his own body.

Then, they attacked. For some reason- most likely, lack of a mohawk- the Ironguard knew to attack him while the other gang stayed away. No matter though, it worked out for him in the end.

 **Name: Charley Bunt  
** **LV: 11 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Whisperer in Darkness  
** **Race: Moderate Human  
**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-  
** **HP: 1034/1100**

 **[OK]**

No aura? This would be a piece of cake. Charley charged at him wildly, his arms over his head with a simple metal pipe in his hand. Easily, Jaune dodged his downward chop and smashed the butt of Crocea Mors into the kid's forehead. Charley stumbled back, knocking into a fine looking fellow and bringing the two of them to the ground, where they started to wrestle. Jaune wanted to help, but other foes dragged his attention away.

 **Name: Alexander Trestle  
** **LV: 13 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Shadow over Innsmouth  
** **Race: Moderate Human**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-  
** **HP: 1034/1100**

 **[OK]**

This one was armed with a sword, and seemed to have some experience over his first combatant. He and Alex engaged with a clash, one that Alex was starting to win. Clearly, he was the stronger man. However, Jaune didn't get this far by being the strongest. A brief stint of fire busted out from Jaune's hands. Not enough to burn his aggressor, but just enough to distract. The leader of Team JWLR capitalized on this distraction, breaking off the clash and managing a slice to the stomach, then to the leg.

On his attempt at the arm, though, Alex managed to catch him, once again clashing their blades. This time, the clash didn't last long, as to Jaune's surprise, Blake came crashing into his opponent, crushing him behind her as she was thrown to the wayside. Looking to Blake's opponent, Jaune got his unasked answer. The leader of the Ironguard was glowing, an obvious sign of aura. And from the looks of it, his semblance wasn't anything to scoff at. Those muscles were ridiculously huge!

 **Name: Don Jonson  
** **LV: 26 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Mountain of Madness  
** **Race: Advanced Human**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-  
** **HP: 2544/2600**

 **[OK]**

Blake recovered quickly from her short flight, and soon ran past Jaune to join the battle once more. Jaune, meanwhile, steered clear, deciding that the grunts were enough for him. _His_ joining the battle was marked by the slicing of the back of an unfortunate man's knees. The guy toppled like house of cards and Jaune moved on.

His next few opponents didn't last long, each one being redirected towards another fight. Once more, Jaune was reminded of the sheer chaos of the battle. Blake, for her part, was doing extremely well. The hulking, mindless, beast that had become Don Jonson swatted and punched and kicked, but couldn't land a single blow on the ninja girl. If Jaune wasn't worried about her before, he certainly wasn't worried now.

At a certain point in the battle, Jaune became once more free to spectate his surroundings. Just as before, he became a sort of observer of his own body, as all around him people beat each other to hell.

This time, however, Jaune noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and then his other eye, and now that he'd noticed it, it seemed to be everywhere. A flash of pink, white, or brown, each showed up to any gangster in need, and made sure they didn't die. From the looks of it- whatever _it_ was- it seemed to be… Helping.

As the battle winded down, and the fight were coming to an end in the Ironguard's loss, Jaune finally witnessed what was causing the flashes. Directly in front of him, for the briefest moment of time, was a girl- no- a woman. Short in stature, but certainly gifted in _other_ areas. The woman had a distinct color scheme of pink, white, and brown, and she cockily leaned on an umbrella of the same color. When he finally saw her, she gave him a wide grin, a salute, and finally, a wink. With all that out of the way, the woman disappeared with the sound of breaking glass, successfully confusing the crap out of Jaune for the time being.

"Who the-"

 **Quest Available:  
** **Mystery Woman**

 **Objective One: Find out more about this Mystery Woman. Name, Story, etc.**

 **Time: No Time Limit**

 **Reward: Unknown**

 **Failure: None  
** **Failure to accept Quest: None**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

He accepted without much of a thought. The quest seemed entirely freeform, no time limit, and no punishment for failure. Frankly, it would've been stupid to not take the quest.

Shortly after his encounter, the battle came to a close. The Ironguard being the losers. Don Jonson lay at Blake's feet, his insane muscle gone with his aura. Jaune moved to stand by his companion as the Gentleman he never got the name of confronted her.

"You, gal, are the weirdest Hunter I've ever met. And you too, boy." Neither responded to that. "What are you gonna do now? Try and arrest us?"

"That depends. How do you feel about faunus?" She echoed. The man smiled.

"I _love_ them." He answered with a grin. She nodded.

"Let's hope it stays that way- For your sake." With that, she grabbed Jaune's hand and pulled him away.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon, and the two of them made their way back to Vale's inner city to catch the last Bullhead to Beacon.

* * *

"Ok… What just happened? Answer me that first." Once they had gotten back to Beacon and found a silent spot- which just so happened to be the clearing he'd found a week before- Jaune barraged Blake with questions. "Actually, no. Who is Tuckson? That's more important." She hesitated.

"I'd rather not bring him into this." He frowned.

"Fine then. Umm… Do you do this frequently? Is this something you do every weekend?" Before she could answer, he continued. "How long have you been doing this? Because that _definitely_ wasn't your first rodeo." The accusation didn't land, and Blake looked away. " _Why_ would you do this, anyway? How come you just don't inform the police or something? What is 'this' anyway?" No response.

"It had something to do with Faunus. Even I could pick that up. It's about the racism then, the discrimination? Do you always target racists and _blow up_ their homes?" She still wasn't saying anything, but he sensed he was hitting a nerve. "Is it only racists you target? Or do you attack other people as well? If you saw a non-faunus person being mugged, would you help them, or would you first need to know if the mugger was a faunus or not?" He stopped himself. That… Was too much.

"Sorry, that- That wasn't fair to say. I guess today wound me up with all the excitement, and I just got impatient. Whenever you're ready- _if_ you're ever ready- you can tell me. I'll be listening." Once again, she didn't respond and he sighed. He shouldn't have burst out like that, Gamer's Mind should have- No. _He_ should have watched his words and not relied on a faulty game to do it for him. The two sat together in silence, each facing away from each other and with only the sounds of nature to fill in the void.

"I… I've just always wanted people to be equal." The huntress spoke finally, still not looking at him.

"Huh?"

"You asked why I did all that today, blowing up the house, attacking the gang. And no, I don't 'always' blow up the homes of racists. Those men were a special case, drug smugglers, and an infrequent base of operations for human trafficking." Now Jaune turned his own head in shame, as she quoted his words back at him. She took a deep breath.

"For so long, Faunus have been put down and abused by humans… It's just not fair. The police are incompetent. They can't do anything right. An the court system isn't much better. They're light on punishment, and they're light on trying to enforce equality." As if her outer shell had suddenly been broken, Blake explained her position.

"What do you mean?" He asked her to continue.

"I used to be part of a peaceful group advocating for Faunus rights, but nothing we did seemed to be working. Then, a powerful man took control of the organization and made radical changes. The changes were horrible and violent, but they were working! People started to recognize our organization for what it truly was. People, for once, had to see the Faunus as more than just cheap labor or subhuman! Then, it all went south. Force was necessary to get people to listen to you, people are just stubborn like that. But murder? Genocide? That was all too much for me… So I left."

"Then what happened?"

"Then I came to Vale. I saw the injustice in the city and decided to do something about it. _Without_ killing. Sure, the occasional bombing. But I do _what it takes_. Even if no one else does."

Jaune took a second to think on her words. It was hard to imagine, dropping your life to go somewhere else. That took guts, strength. Especially when your morals were the only thing driving you, keeping you going. Perhaps one day he'd understand her pain. But until then, he could only give his sympathies.

Then, almost out of nowhere, a very important inquiry came to his mind.

"One last question." He said finally.

"Yes?" She took another deep breath and braced herself. This was it. This was where it all came out.

"No judgement, I just want to know the truth." She nodded and closed her eyes.

"You can ask it." The ninja gave her permission.

"Alright. Blake, are you… Interested in going on a date with Ren?"

"Yes. I am a Fa- Wait what?" Her eyes opened with bewilderment. The huntress was thrown for a loop.

"Would you be willing to go on a date with Ren? Paid for by me, of course." She continued to stare at him, mouth open, until it turned into a grin. And with the grin, came a chuckle, and another, and another, and pretty soon, Blake was rolling on the floor, laughing her ass off like she never had before. Jaune didn't quite know what was happening, so he just remained where he was with a confused smile.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 9/200**

 **[OK]**

"You know what?!" She asked between fits of laughter and gasps for air.

"What?"

"Sure! Hahaha! I'd love to!" For some reason, this prospect only seemed to worsen her current predicament, and kept laughing so hard that her sides started to cramp. On Jaune's end, he was ecstatic. She said yes! And he barely had to convince he at all!

"Awesome! Is Sunday night good?" He asked as she started to regain herself.

"Perfect." The grinned at each other.

It was good to have friends.

* * *

 **Thanks to my Awesome betas, Macheddy and CasuallyPosting, who I forgot to mention last time. Sorry about that.**

 **I said it wouldn't be a month till the next chapter and would you look at that! It's been almost a month! Yeah, my week's been getting busier and busier, and it's not stopping here. Hopefully, though, the next one will come out sooner because I'll be getting a break after this week. Why do I try and make promises on schedules? Just ignore me.**

 **This chapter contained some Dark Knight (Jaune x Blake) elements, but don't panic. I said the pairing will eventually be voted on, and it still will. I just want to add a bit of a romantic base for everyone, so the ship doesn't look to come from out of nowhere. So for any Dark Knight shippers, enjoy this chapter, and for everyone else, don't even sweat it. (Also, Dark Knight is a Batman movie… So yeah. That's my only excuse why there were so many Batman references in this chapter.)**

 **This chapter really made me stretch my vocabulary to the max. When it's basically only two people going back and forth, 'said' and 'asked' get old quick. If you happened to notice the superfluous dialogue, I hope it didn't ruin your experience of the chapter.**

 **Now Reviews,**

 **There were quite a few reviews wondering about the state of Team RWBY and -NPR, more specifically, why they were out of character. And yes, they are out of character. That's kinda whole point of the story. But, that's my fault for not explaining this more clearly, so I have changed the genre to mystery so to not confuse any new comers.**

 **The love triangle thing was Cardin simply referring to general High School Bullshit. There's no actual love triangle. At least, not yet.**

 **The Scythe Argument is understandable, as Qrow is certainly as big if not bigger than Jaune is, but you have to focus on who's teaching him. Qrow is an expert with a scythe, and therefore, knows how to teach it's use to any individual. Ruby, however, is still an amateur, and only has her own skills to go off on when teaching Jaune.**

 **And finally, a message to anyone posting about how they're nervous to write a review, don't be! I genuinely look forward to all reviews, and I'm not an author who get's mad at people for saying what they think. You could even shitpost (though I ask that you don't) and call me an asshole, but a reviews a review, and I'll treat it like such.**

 **Your support is appreciated, your reviews are welcome, and until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	10. Glitch

**This is the second version of chapter ten I have posted. Despite the initial similarities between the previous chapter, this chapter is nearly three times the length of the previous one, and is _very_ different. Though any who have read the previous chapter ten can go on to eleven, I advise that they read this version to get the full experience of this story. Thank you.**

* * *

Jaune woke up feeling… Happy. Why wouldn't he be? Blake had agreed to the date he had planned and now all he had to do was set it up. Whatever 'it' was… In all truth, Jaune wasn't the most experienced when it came to dates- which is to say, he's never been on one ever. However, that fact didn't get him down, as he knew everything would work out in the end.

Unfortunately, Jaune wasn't able to start preparing immediately. Though it was Sunday, they were required to go to remedial lessons. Apparently, Professor Port had held them back so many times that they were losing valuable class time with the history professor. Annoying, yes, but the students of Beacon accepted with a grumble. Hard to protest something when Ms. Goodwitch enforces it.

"Alright students!" Oobleck began the class with a shout, waking the students from their stupor. "I don't want to be here as much as you do, so we'll make this quick- _It'sthatdamnfuckerPort'sfault_ \- Today we will be going over everything we were unable to talk about about the Faunus Revolution. Then we can all get out of here and enjoy our day off, alright?" Having said that all in one breath, the doctor took a moment to breath.

Unlike most, Jaune could- for the most part- understand what his teacher was saying. Though, he didn't catch that bit in the middle. Despite this, Jaune still had about as much fun as anyone else in Oobleck's class. As to say, none at all. Unlike with Port, however, you couldn't just sleep through the history professor's class, as he would actively make sure everyone was listening. And because of this attentiveness, the green haired teacher was the most hated out of all the staff.

Almost instantly, Jaune started to zone out. He had more important things to think about. Mainly, what would he be serving Ren and Blake for dinner? And where? And how? So much to do and so little time to do it. Perhaps he'd ask one of his friends for help. Blake and Ren were off that list for obvious reasons, as was Ruby. Nora… Didn't seem like the 'type' to know much about dating, leaving Jaune with a few options.

Speaking of those options, just in that moment, Yang bumped his shoulder. She and Weiss made up the seats next to Jaune, while Ruby and the rest of his friends sat on the opposite side of the classroom.

"What?" He whispered to the boisterous blonde, slightly agitated. He knew she wasn't mad at him for fighting with Ruby, but he still felt a little annoyed that she hadn't made any effort to talk to him in the days since. Well, maybe today was the day.

"I heard what you were planning from Blake. You're making a mistake." Yang warned. Jaune's eyes widened, then his fists curled.

"It's good to talk to you as well, _Yang_. How have _you_ been?" The snark in his voice was evident. Perhaps it was due to the building stress of the upcoming date, but Jaune _really_ wasn't in a good mood to be criticised today. Yang, for the most part, brushed his comment off.

"I'm trying to stop you before you do something stupid. Ren doesn't like Blake." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"And if that were true? What are you trying to make me do?"

"Call off the date. Call it off before you hurt Blake's or Ren's feelings." Silence stood between them as Jaune processed the information given to him. Finally, he spoke back up.

"The _reason_ I'm setting up the date in the first place, is to distract me from _your_ sister. So if she set you up to this for some petty revenge, it's not going to work. Not to mention, I think I know my partner a bit better than you do." Yang frowned.

"You're being an asshole right now. But I get it, you feel hurt and you want that feeling to stop. I understand that. So, when you've gotten over your shit and realized your mistakes, we'll hit the town and you can buy me drinks as an apology." She paused a moment, considering her next words. "Besides… This isn't about you. Ren and Blake are the important ones here." He gritted his teeth.

"And who exactly do you think Ren is actually attracted to?" Jaune mocked, voice raising.

"Nora." Yang blandly stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Nora?!" The team leader repeated incredulously. Then, he remembered where he was, and looked around to see everyone staring at him.

"Mr. Arc! Glad you could finally join us!" Doctor Oobleck shouted at him. He was screwed. "Now, since this is the weekend, I will allow you one chance to get away from this class punishment free. Simply tell me, what advantage did the Faunus forces have over General Lagoon's forces during the battle of Fort Castle? Answer correctly, and you are forgiven for the interruption. Answer incorrectly, and you will be staying after with _me_."

Jaune went into something of a panic mode. He wasn't truly panicked, as Gamer's Mind _finally_ decided to kick in after that rough conversation with Yang, but the sense of dread still flowed through his body. If he got this wrong, he wouldn't be able to provide Blake and Ren with their date. Not only would they be annoyed, but he'd fail the quest and lose their bond. That _couldn't_ happen.

Stalling for time, Jaune looked around the room as if he was trying to think. Oobleck was waiting for him, but wouldn't wait much longer. Yang was no help, and it seemed the other side of the class had gone mute, but Jaune's attention was finally drawn to Weiss. She had stopped feverishly taking notes and was instead underlining two words. 'Night Vision.'

"Night Vision, Doctor. The Faunus forces all had excellent night vision." Jaune answered, adding the 'Doctor' part for some extra flattery. Oobleck smiled.

"Good work, Mr. Arc. I knew you had it in you. No need to stay after today. Never say I was unfair- _UnlikethatsonofabitchPort_ \- and let's get back on track." Once the teacher had launched back into his rants and away from Jaune, the leader of Team JWLR turned to his teammate.

"Thanks for the save, Weiss." She shook her head, not looking at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Just pay attention." She insisted.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

"Right." He complied with her demands, ignoring the glaring blonde on his right to focus on the teacher and what was going on in the classroom. Cardin raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Winchester?" The teacher called.

"I understand why they won the battle of Fort Castle, but how did the Faunus win the war? Isn't it true that humans are naturally stronger than Faunus because of their consistent genes?" The question was genuine, but it seemed to stir an unwelcome feeling throughout the class, particularly, from Blake.

"Be careful with your words, Mr. Winchester. It is not healthy to throw around blanket statements like that. While some Atlesian Scientists have found that more… 'Peculiar' types of Faunus, such as any Insect Faunus, score slightly below average in terms of strength, this difference is negligible and completely vanishes when the subjects are given aura. Some types of Faunus, like the Bull Faunus, have actually been recorded with _higher_ strength averages than a normal human. Of course, none of this conjecture truly matters, as in the end, skill will shine over strength everytime. And as for how the Faunus won the war- Skill. Skill and hope."

"Right." Cardin responded simply enough. At this, many of the Faunus and Faunus Supporters in the room backed down their glares, but Blake was not one of them, still viewing Winchester with a haineous look. And while even she went back to paying attention to Oobleck, Jaune's own gaze still remained.

He'd quickly dismissed Yang's words- and rightly so- but the thoughts she placed in his head still lingered. He inwardly scoffed at the ideas that Ren had a crush on anyone other than Blake, though he couldn't help but doubt himself. Jaune grimaced.

That doubt. It was so similar to his feelings before he started to hook up Blake and Ren. Nagging feelings, pulling at his very essence and telling him he was useless. Why had Yang felt the need to tell him such things? To hurt him like this? Couldn't she see that he needed this? That he needed this to work, or else…

The first time, Cardin had given him advice on how to get out of his stupor. And while it wasn't much, it helped. Perhaps he could help now, as well.

* * *

When the class finally ended, Jaune sought out Cardin. Thankfully, the larger student was kind enough to lend his advice once more. The time, they talked on the school roof- a place away from the other classmates.

It was midday, but the view was no less stunning. The sun shined over the castle he called home, letting it's edges shine out with a radiance. It seemed that every window and balcony in Beacon was crafted to give only the greatest view possible. Frankly, Jaune had not yet stumbled upon one that failed to please.

"Does Ren like Blake or Nora?" Jaune suddenly asked as they made themselves comfortable. Cardin blinked.

"What?"

"Does Lie Ren like Blake Belladonna or Nora Valkyrie? 'Like' as in, 'have a crush on.'" Jaune repeated, a little desperate. Cardin gave him a sad, almost pitiful, look.

"I have no idea. I'm not into gossip, remember?" The leader of Team JWLR sighed and walked over to the guard railing. Cardin joined him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I was setting up a date for Blake and Ren, a distraction like you said, and now Yang has to come up to me a tell me that Ren actually like Nora! Like she'd know Ren better than I do. Ugh." He stopped himself complaining, realizing that Gamer's mind wasn't kicking in. "I just wanted your advice on the situation as a whole, I guess."

"Well, I can't tell you about Ren's romantic life, but I can do that." Jaune looked at him. "Just ask Ren. Easy."

"Just like that?"

"Yup." Jaune faltered, unsure of how to respond. The way Cardin put in made the whole deal sound so simple. Yet, Jaune couldn't help but feel a certain hesitance at the prospect of talking to Ren about something like that.

It was an uncomfortable thought, that he was wrong about something that should've been so blatantly obvious, and at the moment, Jaune wasn't much for uncomfortable feelings. But… As Yang said- This wasn't about him. Whatever reasons he had for wanting to keep the date on, they meant nothing if Ren didn't actually want to go with Blake. The solution was obvious, and despite his pride, Jaune did what he had to.

"You're right, Cardin. I'll go talk to Ren." Jaune finally agreed. Winchester patted him on the back.

"Good to hear. I know you're afraid that you'll be wrong, but you have to remember- Helping people is indeed a noble thing to do, but only if they _want_ to be helped. Trying to force help will only make the situation worse for everybody." Jaune nodded, showing he understood Cardin's final bit of advice. "See you around, Jaune." And like that, the advice giver was gone, leaving Jaune in his thoughts.

Not long after, though, did the leader of Team JWLR detach himself from the railing and go out to seek his partner- Ready for whatever he had to hear.

* * *

Jaune found Ren in the most obvious of locations- training with Nora. Though it was Sunday, the pair didn't seem to have any other concept of fun. At least, Jaune assumed they fought for fun. Certainly, Nora did.

The fight dynamic was the same as always, with Nora acting as a devastating powerhouse in all her attacks, and Ren being able to dodge each and every one. They continued their flawless dance together and Jaune took a moment to appreciate the skill they displayed. Once more, he was reminded that no matter how far he had come, his friends and foes still wildly out classed him.

Finally, during a lull, the Team Leader took his chance to interrupt. Walking in between the two combatants, specifically for the purpose of not getting accidentally killed, Jaune made himself known. It… Didn't work. At least, not at first.

Nora and Ren were locked in each other's eyes, panting. Neither reacted to his presence, for neither truly saw him. They weren't taking in the world, only each other. Then, with Jaune nearly between them, they charged each other with renewed vigor.

"Guys!" Nora stopped instantly, blinking out of whatever trance she was in by a matter of seconds. Ren took a bit longer- around thirty seconds- before he realized where he was. Having both brought back to the land of the living, Jaune was now the center of attention- an awkward position. "Uhh… Hello."

"What is it, Jaune?" Ren said curtly as Nora gave back her greetings. He wiped the sweaty hair from his eyes.

"I… I need to speak with you about something." Jaune explained to his partner, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm a little busy at the moment." Ren gestured to Nora, who gave a cheeky little wave.

"It's important." He insisted, making Ren grumble.

"Fine. What is it?" The leader of Team JWLR shook his head.

"Not _here_." Giving a glance to Nora, he added another caveat. "And alone." Sick of his partner's antics, Ren sighed and started walking away. "Where are you going?" Jaune called after him.

"Somewhere private. Are you coming or not?"

"Come back soon!" Nora said her farewells as Jaune rushed to catch up with Ren.

They didn't go far, just to an unused room right outside the sparring chamber. There, Jaune found Ren already waiting for him, tapping his foot.

"Well?" The ninja eventually inquired, breaking the silence that built up around the two.

"I-" Jaune went to open his mouth, but had to close it again. The nervousness had grown within him, coming to a head at this moment. A hint of shame was also tied into things- Was he really going to ask Ren who his crush was? Had he been such a bad friend to have never even realized the truth? Surely not, but it still felt that way.

Asking the question, speaking the words, it was like admitting defeat- Not something that Jaune did easily. For all his faults in strength and skill, Jaune had yet to let any challenge simply roll over him. Sure, he had failed his quests time to time, but that wasn't the same thing. At the very least, Jaune tried. Which seemed to be a point of conflict for today.

"Can we make this quick? I don't have all day." Ren's voice once again broke through Jaune's thoughts, causing Jaune to remember all the advice he'd been given that day- Specifically, Yang's words.

This wasn't about him. This was about Ren, Nora, and Blake's happiness. It was good of Jaune to do something nice for his friends, but if he continued on without asking, he'd be twisting his help into something worse, something darker. Help was only right when the other person wanted it. Anything besides that was using force, no matter what the intentions were.

Jaune took a deep breath.

"Ren, this is going to sound silly, but I need you to answer honestly. Do you have a crush on Nora or Blake?"

Ren opened his mouth, but what came out wasn't a name. Rather, it was a noise- Similar to one a computer would make if it experienced an error. Then, Ren's mouth closed, and opened, and closed and opened and closed and opened and soon- It was just blinking in and out of existence with Jaune, frozen in horror, doomed to watch.

The world shifted, slightly. Not as in the physical room shifted, but the textures did. Half of the chalkboard was now splayed on the bare wall and vice versa. The chairs had taken in the look of the desks and the desks, the chairs.

From Ren's mouth, the error noise came once more, but this time, it didn't stop. Instead, it just kept whirring on, becoming nearly deafening in intensity.

Jaune wanted to react, but found that he couldn't. He had moved into some sort of position, but he hadn't meant to. Whatever was going on, whatever was happening, it was affecting him as well. He- _He_ _wasn't in control_.

Ren suddenly disappeared and Jaune let out a scream within his own mind, something guttural, directly from the soul. Right after Ren went the desks, and after them the building. Jaune fell to the ground, completely paralyzed, looking out at the horizon as it slowly blinked away.

' _This is hell_.' Jaune thought with the last of his comprehension.

And then, the sun disappeared.

* * *

 _ **Want.**_

* * *

Jaune woke up feeling… Confused. At least, for the briefest moments until he found himself happy! Why wouldn't he be? Blake had agreed to the date he had planned- the hardest part, out of the way- and now all he had to do was set it 'it' was…

* * *

Unfortunately, Jaune wasn't able to start preparing immediately. Though it was Sunday, they were required to go to remedial lessons. Apparently, Professor Port had held them back so many times that they were losing valuable class time with the history professor. Annoying, yes, but the students of Beacon accepted with a grumble. Hard to protest something when Ms. Goodwitch enforces it.

Almost the instant class started, Jaune started to zone out. He had more important things to think about. Mainly, what would he be serving Ren and Blake for dinner? And where? And how? So much to do and so little time to do it. Perhaps he'd ask one of his friends for help. Blake and Ren were off that list for obvious reasons, as was Ruby. Nora… Didn't seem like the 'type' to know much about dating, leaving Jaune with a few options.

Speaking of those options, just in that moment, Yang bumped his shoulder. She and Weiss made up the seats next to Jaune, while Ruby and the rest of his friends sat on the opposite side of the classroom.

Their conversation… Did not go well. For some reason, Yang had gotten it in her mind that Ren _didn't_ have a crush on Blake. Apparently, he was making a 'big mistake' by continuing on with the date. And to top it all off, _he_ was being the 'asshole.' The nerve!

"And who exactly do you think Ren is actually attracted to?" Jaune finally asked, voice raising.

"Nora." Yang blandly stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Nora?!" The team leader repeated incredulously. Then, he remembered where he was, and looked around to see everyone staring at him.

"Mr. Arc! Glad you could finally join us!" Doctor Oobleck shouted at him. He was screwed. "Now, since this is the weekend, I will allow you one chance to get away from this class punishment free. Simply tell me, what advantage did the Faunus forces have over General Lagoon's forces during the battle of Fort Castle? Answer correctly, and you are forgiven for the interruption. Answer incorrectly, and you will be staying after with _me_."

Jaune's eyebrows furrowed. This situation seemed so… Familiar. For whatever reason, Jaune couldn't shake the feeling that they had talked about this before. Of course, that didn't help his current situation, as he didn't actually have an answer.

Stalling for time, Jaune looked around the room as if he was trying to think. Oobleck was waiting for him, but wouldn't wait much longer. Yang was no help, and it seemed the other side of the class had gone mute, but Jaune's attention was finally drawn to Weiss. She had stopped feverishly taking notes and was instead underlining two words. 'Night Vision.'

"Night Vision, Doctor. The Faunus forces all had excellent night vision." Jaune answered, adding the 'Doctor' part for some extra flattery. Oobleck smiled.

"Good work, Mr. Arc. I knew you had it in you. No need to stay after today. Never say I was unfair- _UnlikethatsonofabitchPort_ \- and let's get back on track." Once the teacher had launched back into his rants and away from Jaune, the leader of Team JWLR turned to his teammate.

"Thanks for the save, Weiss." She shook her head, not looking at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Just pay attention." She insisted.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Weiss Schnee  
** **Bond LV: 4/200**

 **[OK]**

"Right." He complied with her demands, ignoring the glaring blonde on his right to focus on the teacher and what was going on in the classroom. Cardin raised his hand.

As Cardin made something of a splash in the classroom, Jaune thought on Yang's words. He didn't want to, but his mind seemed to have other prerogatives. How could it be true- That Ren liked Nora and not Blake? Surely not. Then why did he ruminate on these thoughts so much? Ugh. He needed to talk to someone.

The first time, Cardin had given him advice on how to get out of his stupor. And while it wasn't much, it helped. Perhaps he could help now, as well.

* * *

When the class finally ended, Jaune sought out Cardin. Thankfully, the larger student was kind enough to lend his advice once more. The time, they talked on the school roof- a place away from the other classmates.

It was midday, but the view was no less stunning. The sun shined over the castle he called home, letting it's edges shine out with a radiance. It seemed that every window and balcony in Beacon was crafted to give only the greatest view possible. Frankly, Jaune had not yet stumbled upon one that failed to please.

"Does Ren like Blake or Nora?" Jaune suddenly asked as they made themselves,comfortable. Cardin blinked.

"What?"

"Does Lie Ren like Blake Belladonna or Nora Valkyrie? 'Like' as in, 'have a crush on.'" Jaune repeated, a little annoyed. Cardin gave him a sad, almost pitiful, look.

"I have no idea. I'm not into gossip, remember?" The leader of Team JWLR sighed and walked over to the guard railing. Cardin joined him. "Why do you want to know?"

"It's a stupid thing Yang told me. I was planning a date for Blake and Ren, when she came out of nowhere and made me doubt myself. I wanted to hear your input because I know you'd be honest." Cardin took a moment to think.

"Well… I'm sorry I can't help you there, but I would say to ask Ren about it-"

"No." Jaune cut him off. "I don't want to do that." Cardin raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to. It was meant to be a surprise and it'll stay that way." The team leader's voice had hardened, losing the friendly tone it once held.

"Then why come to me?"

"For reassurance. I had a stupid gut feeling that made we want to talk to you. Obviously, that was a mistake." The pair stopped leaning on the railing and faced each other.

"You're going to continue with the date?"

"Yes."

"Even if Ren doesn't like Blake?"

"Yes. I said I would give her a date and that's what I'm going to do." Cardin was at a loss to Jaune's words.

"That doesn't make any sense. If you're helping your friend get a date, that's fine, but you can't just ignore their feelings. How-"

"They are going to have a nice date tonight, Ren and Blake. That's final." Cardin scowled at being cut off again.

" _No_ , it's not. You can't just do what you want Jaune."

" _Yes_ , I can." Jaune insisted, his voice raising. "This is _my_ world, _my_ game, and what I say-"

 _ **Smack!**_

Jaune was knocked off his feet, flying back into the nearest wall with a thud. Slumping to the ground, the Beacon student was at a loss. Before he could say anything, though, Cardin came up to him with a scowl.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, _Arc_ , but if you really think your some sort of 'god,' I'll be happy to prove you wrong each and every day we spar." The threat firmly in place, the bigger student stormed off, leaving Jaune with his thoughts.

What… What the hell? Those words… Why would he say those words? They came out of his mouth, he _meant_ to say them, and yet… They felt foreign to him. The words themselves were uncomfortable to even think about, much less, speak with sincerity. What had possessed him to say such things?

He felt cold, dirty. It wasn't right, it would never be.

Finally standing, Jaune rubbed his forehead with a shaky hand. He needed to talk to someone. If not about what had just happen, then about Ren and Blake- He hadn't been lying when he said he didn't want to ask Ren his crush, and that hadn't changed.

Whatever his course of action, Jaune needed to get out of here. Despite being on an open balcony, he couldn't help but feel like the walls were closing in on him, the weight of his own words pushing him down more than anything.

Without any other options, Jaune Arc ran.

* * *

He only stopped when he bumped into Pyrrha, who stood firm like a brick wall. She barely flinched at their collision, while he was sent to the floor for the second time that day. Her hair was slightly damp- most likely from the shower after her extensive training- but aside from that, she appeared exactly as she always had, with not a glitch in sight. Wait what?

"Are you okay, Jaune?" Pyrrha inquired gently, picking him up by the shoulders. He knew she meant his fall, but he couldn't stop himself from using the outlet provided to him.

"To be completely honest… No, I- I'm not." He confessed to the red haired beauty, who had gained a concerned look.

"What's wrong? Tell me." Pyrrha insisted while leading him somewhere more private than a hallway.

"I… Was planning a date for Ren and Blake when Yang told me that Ren doesn't actually have a crush on Blake. I don't want to believe her, but at the same time, I don't want to ask Ren. It was a surprise that I worked towards, why can't she just let me have that?" The resident champion rubbed his back soothingly, trying to make him feel better. But it wasn't going to work.

Right now, he really couldn't care less who Ren had a crush on. That was beyond him at this point. _Now_ , he wanted to know what had came over him, why he'd acted so horribly in front of Cardin- And, even more so, would he do it again? _That's_ what clung to his conscious, yet he couldn't bring himself to tell Pyrrha that, instead defaulting to the previous problem on his list.

"Why were you setting up a date for them? Did Ren ask you to?" Pyrrha prodded some more information out of him- Though, he had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"No. I just wanted to do something nice. He told me that he was having trouble talking to his crush, so I tried to help. Maybe once Ren had a nice dinner with her, or something, he'd be able to really confess his feelings. She'd accept them and- Bam. Everyone's happy."

"Well, that's kind of you to do. So Ren mentioned Blake specifically?"

"Umm… No." Jaune admitted. "But his crush couldn't possibly be on Nora, I know that." He quickly explained, making Pyrrha hesitate.

"How so?" Now it was Jaune's turn to falter.

"I… Uhh… It just- It just doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, think about it! Could you actually picture Nora as some sort of 'housewife?'"

"No." Pyrrha conceded. "But this isn't about marriage, it's about whether Ren has a crush on Blake or Nora."

"Yeah, but still. I can't even fathom to think about Nora dating anybody, let alone _Ren_."

"…Do you like Nora?" The P of Team PBNY asked as if she'd caught on to something. Jaune instantly made a face.

"What?! No! Ugh… She's nice and pretty and all, but… No, just no." Pyrrha was taken back by the emotion displayed in his answer, but saw the truth in it nonetheless. "What do you think?" Jaune suddenly inquired.

"About what?" She played dumb.

"About who Ren has a crush on." He clarified, making her cringe.

"Well… In my best guess- and I could be totally wrong here- I would say… Nora." Jaune's face fell.

"Oh."

"If you really are sure it's Blake, though," Pyrrha tried her best to recover. "Then you should probably just ask Ren."

"I-" Jaune started, but then he stopped himself from saying it. 'I don't want to.' But why? Sure, it would suck if his plans to set Ren and Blake up fell through and he failed the quest, but that wasn't any reason to _want_ to not know the truth.

Something wasn't right. _He_ wasn't right. Pyrrha capitalized on his moment of doubt.

"Jaune. You are trying to do something good, and that's _good_ , but hurting them isn't." She held him steady by the shoulder, making sure he couldn't avoid her eye. "You're scared. You're scared that you're going to be wrong and that once again, you'll lose your friends. _I understand that_." She paused, regaining herself.

"To be completely honest," She continued. "I'm a little scared as well." Jaune stared at her with confusion. "Had I been in your position just last morning, I would probably do exactly as you do, avoiding the facts so I could help people the way I _wanted_ to help people."

"What changed?" He hazarded to ask.

"I don't know. It was like I was living my life with the wool over my eyes, and all of a sudden- just this morning- it was removed. I have no idea what changed, but I don't really care. What matters is, you need to talk to Ren, to ask him for the truth." Jaune went to object, but Pyrrha cut him off. "If not for them, then for me." He hands hand moved from his shoulders to his cheeks, cupping them softly.

"We're friends, right?" She expressed to him in a way that he just couldn't say no.

"Yes. You're a good friend." He answered simply, causing her to smile a tiny bit.

"Well, sometimes friends have to push each other in the right direction, even if they might not want to go." She pulled him into a tight hug. Her body pressed against him without reserve, and it seemed that she clinged to him like her life depended on it.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune was taken aback by her sudden show of emotion, that seemed to contradict every conversation they'd had before. He knew they were friends, but this was completely unexpected.

"Do it for me, won't you?" She finally whispered in his ear, making him shiver at the hot breath on his neck, the smell of her fresh shampoo in her bright red hair.

"Yes. I will. I promise." The leader of JWLR promised. Jaune didn't want to confront Ren, but he was a man of his word.

"Good." He could hear the relieved smile she now had. But then… Something changed. Pyrrha's grip on him became infinitely tighter, nearly strangling him. "I'm _so_ scared Jaune." The champion admitted suddenly. "I don't want to go back."

"Pyrrha, what are-" The words died in his mouth- No. actually, they were strangled there.

Jaune found himself unable to move, beyond just Pyrrha's ridiculously tight hold. But that wasn't what caught his attention. The most pertinent thing in his vision was the fact that the hallway was missing. As in, _actually gone_. They were now outside, but even that was disappearing.

Soon, Beacon, the surrounding area, and even Pyrrha vanished from him. He wanted to scream, to move, to just do _something_ , but the world wouldn't let him. Unable to adjust himself, Jaune fell to what used to be the floor, staring up at the sun.

' _This is hell_.' Was all he could say before even that giant celestial body in the sky vanished.

Leaving him in darkness.

* * *

 _ **Can't**_

* * *

Jaune woke up feeling… Confused. At least, for the briefest moments until he found himself happy! Why wouldn't he be? Blake had agreed to the date he had planned- the hardest part, out of the way- and now all he had to do was set it 'it' was…

* * *

Annoyingly, Jaune couldn't use the day to focus his efforts on the date, as he had a class with Oobleck. Yeah, on the _weekend_. Apparently Professor Port has held them back so many times, that the entire class now had to attend make up lessons if they wanted to meet the course requirements.

Just like everybody else, however, Jaune paid minimal attention to whatever nonsense Oobleck was spouting, as he had better things to worry about. Perhaps he could If up the pair a nice dinner. But where would he get the food? Or just even, where would it be set up?

These questions were put on halt, however, as Yang decided to make conversation. _Rude_ conversation.

"I heard what you were planning from Blake. You're making a mistake." Yang warned.

It only went downhill from there. Eventually, though, Jaune got fed up with Yang's baseless statements and lashed out.

"Nora?!" The team leader repeated incredulously. Then, he remembered where he was, and looked around to see everyone staring at him.

"Mr. Arc! Glad you could finally join us!" Doctor Oobleck shouted at him.

The whole class- and the conflict itself- seemed to fly by, and once class was over, Jaune was left with the odd feeling of wanting to talk to Cardin.

* * *

"Does Ren like Blake or Nora?" Jaune suddenly asked. Cardin blinked.

"What?"

"Does Lie Ren like Blake Belladonna or Nora Valkyrie? 'Like' as in, 'have a crush on.'" Jaune repeated, a little desperate. Cardin gave him a sad, almost pitiful, look.

"I have no idea. I'm not into gossip, remember? Why do you want to know?"

"I-" Jaune paused, cutting himself off. "No reason." The bigger student raised a brow.

"Ok… Well, if there's nothing to it, why don't you ask Ren instead of-"

"No!" Jaune suddenly bursted out in fear. "I can't do that."

"What?" The leader of Team CRDL inquired, genuinely confused. "Why not?" He took a step closer, and Jaune flinched.

"I can't!" The hysterical team leader cried. "It's not possible! Not _allowed_ …" Cardin made contact despite Jaune's moves, seizing him by the arm.

"Jaune. Are you okay?" The question was clear and direct, causing Jaune to snap out of whatever spell he was under. He moved away from Cardin.

"Uhh… Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that…"

"If you need help, just tell me."

"No no, I'm fine. I just… I have to go now."

And with that pathetic farewell, Jaune ended the conversation just as soon as it started, leaving a concerned Cardin in his wake.

* * *

Immediately after his talk with Cardin, Jaune went to see Weiss. Right now, he needed someone to talk to, and Weiss seemed like the safest choice. He found her in the library, as per usual, studying what looked to be news articles on the computer.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked politely to his teammate. Hearing him, Weiss instantly closed out of her tab and whirled around in her seat to met him.

"Nothing!" She insisted before he could say another word. He blinked in surprise and she sighed, letting her shoulders drop from their tense position. "Sorry. I'm a little too used to hiding things." Weiss explained.

"It's fine. You don't have to show me if you don't want to." He brushed her off. What she did was her business- and right now, he couldn't care less. Jaune thought this was obvious, but apparently, Weiss hadn't gotten the memo. Her eyes widened after she said this, and their bond went up by one. Despite his stress, he couldn't help but crack a smile at the waves of appreciation the girl was letting off.

"No, it's alright. You can look." The heiress said anyway. Turning back to the computer, Weiss pulled up the tab she had previously exited. The following article was a short biography on a man called 'Roman Torchwick' following his successful attempt to rob yet another dust shop.

"What's this about?" He pressured a little more, unsure how willing she was to talk.

"Over the years, this man has been responsible for nearly thirty _million_ lien in lost dust equipment. Recently, though, the rate of dust shop robberies has gone up, but Roman's nowhere to be found. I'm doing a bit of an investigation to see if I can found out any reason for this, perhaps even informing the police where he plans to strike next." Jaune gave this all a thought.

"But why does all this matter to you? It seems more like a problem for the SDC to me." He reasoned, to which she gave him a look.

"SDC. _Schnee_ Dust Company." He chuckled.

"Oh, right." Then another question came to his mind, and he spurted it out before he could stop himself. "But why should you care? You didn't seem very close to the family when you were talking with your sister."

Unbearable silence. For the few seconds it remained, Jaune felt as if it was screaming inside his mind. Before he could back up on his thoughts to get to why he was there, Weiss sighed.

"We… Used to be closer… In another life."

"Sorry for bringing it up." At his apology, Weiss just shook her head.

"Why are you here?" She asked, getting down to business.

"Right, Yes. I was looking for you. I need some advice." He sat down next to her. Once more, she was surprised by his words.

"Advice? What for?"

"A couple things, actually." He explained. "If you had to set up a date, here in school, tonight, what would you do?"

"Well." Weiss smirked. "You certainly have some interesting questions. Anyways… I would use an empty classroom to prepare a candlelight dinner. A three course meal from the kitchen, some music to dance to, the works. Of course, I would ask Ms. Goodwitch if it was okay _before_ I went off to do this." Weiss made her position on the idea clear.

"Obviously." Jaune hurriedly shook his head in agreement. He hadn't really thought about the possible 'administrative problems' posed by his date, so Weiss' reminder was a welcomed one. As was her date suggestion. Sappy and romantic, traits Jaime suspected Blake would enjoy if her taste in books was anything to go off of.

"Anything else?" The W of Team JWLR finally inquired. Jaune stayed silent for a moment, before resolving himself.

"Who do you think Ren has a crush on?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Not really advice, but if I was a gambler I would say Nora."

"Or Blake?" Jaune insisted. Once again, a person had told him Nora's name instead of Blake's. Like the universe was out to make him sweat, he would receive no reassurances from his colleagues.

"Sure. I really have no idea." The heiress agreed with a shrug. "If you're unsure, why don't you just ask?"

Jaune cringed and looked away. There was that feeling again, stabbing in him, hurting. He couldn't quite get a gasp from where the pain originated from, but he knew he didn't like it.

"I can't…" He just barely whispered. He wanted to shout it out, but he _was_ in a library. Weiss reached over and took up his hand. He pulled it away and whirled around to meet her. Unlike Cardin, however, Weiss' eyes were filled with understanding as opposed to confusion.

"Yes you can, Jaune. You've done it before." Weiss pushed, making him flinch even more.

"What do you mean? No I haven't." She grabbed his hand again.

"Yes you have, and you can do it again. You _can_ , Jaune. I know you can."

"I- I- There's something wrong with me. I _can't_ do it." He confessed.

"No." Weiss spoke with absolute certainty. So much so, that the pain in his head was pushed back by the sheer force. "You _can_ talk to Ren. You _can_ accept whatever answer he gives you. And you _can_ save-" She cut herself off, regaining her thoughts. "You're afraid. Afraid that it will hurt, afraid that he'll tell you what you dread to hear… But you're stronger than that. You _can_ do it. And you will."

"But-" Whatever he wanted to say, she wouldn't allow it.

"Promise me. Promise me that you won't let your fears overcome you. Promise me you'll make this right."

Her words held only pure truth in them. And as such, any arguments he had were useless. He wasn't afraid- Not with her. The pain receded back where it came from, unable to latch on to his dread, and Jaune nodded confidently.

"I promise." He said, making her smile.

"I know you're a man of your wor-" She froze, and the grip on his hand tightened. Her once sweet smile now seemed strained, and her eyes were frozen in fear.

The world was disappearing around the two of them, but Jaune didn't even notice. He was too busy internally screaming as the pain came back with a vengeance, tearing through his mind with the force of one thousand suns. Jaune barely comprehended when Weiss vanished, and even less so the school around him.

As he fell from his chair to the ground, looking up at the sun, Jaune couldn't even bring himself to _think_ of any words to describe his current situation.

With nothing more to say and nothing more to do, the sun deleted.

* * *

When Jaune next opened his eyes, all he saw was black. But it wasn't the type of black from a lack of light, nor was it the black from paint- Rather, it was something else entirely. Once he was able to wrap his mind around the blackness of his surroundings, Jaune's mind finally caught wind of the noise near, and with it, a person.

The mysterious person was panting, hands on his knees, and looking exhausted. While what he wore wasn't familiar, the blonde hair was startlingly so- And when the man brought up his face, Jaune's suspicions were only confirmed.

"You're… Me." Jaune noted to his doppelgänger, incredulousness in his voice.

"Well, no. But close." His doppelgänger replied, gaining control of his breathing enough to stand up straight. "I am not you, but rather, your consciousness." His 'consciousness' coughed. "You have no idea how hard it was to bring you here."

"And where is 'here?'" Jaune hesitated to ask.

"Umm…. The void. Or your mind. Or somewhere in between. Hard to say, really."

"Right… And why am _I_ here?" His consciousness nodded, thankful that he brought them back in track.

"Let's just say, you _need_ to have Ren go on a date with Blake." Jaune raises an eyebrow.

"That was the plan anyway. Aren't you supposed to be my consciousness? Surely you would know that."

"Again, it's hard to say. I'm also from the future- kinda- and when you wake up tomorrow, the universe will do everything in its power to make it so you don't set up the date. _Don't listen_. You have to do it anyway. No matter what."

"Okay. Well, assuming this is all true, how do I do that?" The doppelgänger gritted his teeth in contemplation.

"I shouldn't really do this, but I think it's my only choice." His consciousness took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to give you a skill. ' _Confidence_.' Before you get Ren for the date, use it on him so that he isn't awkward during the date. He and Blake will have a better time that way."

"What does that have to do with getting them on the date to begin with?"

"Oh, yeah. Umm… For that, you're just going to have to _**ignore**_ Yang. _**Don't**_ talk to Cardin. If you do that and use the skill afterwards, everything should go smooth as butter."

"I- Uhh…" To Jaune, all of this was insane. Yet, for whatever reason, he had no choice but to recognize the truth of his doppelgänger's words. The team leader wanted to deny all of this as crazy, but couldn't actually do so without feeling a splitting pain in his head. "Ok. I'll do it."

"I know."

"One more question, though."

"Yes?"

"Will I remember this?"

"No."

"How are you sure?"

"Because you've asked that question every single time."

"Wait, wha-"

* * *

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Confidence**

 **[OK]**

Jaune woke up to that notification and one hell of a headache. Today was supposed to be a good day, considering yesterday's success, but it clearly wasn't starting off well. He found it strange that he suddenly had a new skill, but the headache wouldn't allow him to dwell on it.

After taking an early morning shower and a healthy breakfast- He didn't need to eat, but it helped to distract him- the pain finally subsided. Thankfully, before he had to go to Doctor Oobleck's class. Though I was Sunday, Professor Port had held them back so much that they'd lost a significant portion of class time with Oobleck. To supplement this, Oobleck decided to hold an extra lesson today- enforced by Ms. Goodwitch.

As Jaune finally made his way out of the dorm, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was missing something. And on top of that, that his new skill had said 'Charm' before it said 'Confidence.'

* * *

Oobleck's class was just as annoying as he'd suspected, but not for the same reasons. Instead, Yang had decided to annoy him all period, insisting that 'Ren didn't like Blake,' or something stupid like that. Eventually, he got so annoyed talking with her that he had an outburst before Gamer's Mind could take control, grabbing the teacher's attention to him.

Oobleck had threatened him with detention should he not get the question right, but thanks to some help from Weiss, Jaune pulled through. Their bond went up, and thankfully, Yang ignored him for the rest of the class.

The rest of the day, Jaune had free, and he decided to see if Weiss had any ideas for the date. She suggested a nice and cheesy candlelight dinner- cleared by Ms. Goodwitch, of course. He took a liking to this idea, and gave her a thanks and farewell.

Later on, Jaune would do as Weiss asked and check in on Ms. Goodwitch for permission. Surprisingly, the blonde teacher agreed almost immediately, even offering to clean out the room needed using her semblance. Jaune was flattered by the offer, but had to decline.

It didn't feel right to wave off all the hard work in preparation for the date, something _he_ was constructing. Glynda understood this, yet did not back down on being able to help. After much fierce negotiation, it was decided that Ms. Goodwitch could help by having the cooks prepare the meal for the evening, while Jaune used the materials from the supply closets to make an abandoned classroom look nice and pretty.

Once the teacher provided him a key and location, Jaune was off on his way. Coincidentally, the room was located right near the clearing he'd become so found of. Apparently, that entire branch of the school lay unused. Not that Beacon could even staff the area, should they want to, having only four teachers and all.

The first thing Jaune noticed was the dust. As soon as he swung open the door. It wafted out a hermit reaching out of his cave. Just as old too. Beyond that, desks and chairs were strewn about, giving off the impression that whoever was here last left in a rush. Pencils, papers, and all the supplies in between sat abandoned and forgotten. Taking in the scene, Jaune came up with what he had to do.

First, he'd empty the room, shoving the desks and chairs into a storage closet somewhere. Once that was done, he could sweep, dust, and clean, the room into a more pristine condition. Finally, he'd bring in the chairs and table needed for the date, along with some decorations. An easy task, but a diligent one for sure.

As he delved into his task, the team leader was surprised by a visit from Nora, who popped up out of nowhere to scare him.

"Whatcha doin' Jaune-y?" She practically teleported in front of him, making him jump in surprise. Gamer's Mind took care of his problem quickly enough.

"Oh, hey Nora." Jaune greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Well… I was training with Renny, but accidentally went a little overboard. Now, while he's unconscious in his room, I decided to check up on his partner. So, whatcha doin'?" The orange haired girl explained in a single breath.

"I'm setting up a date for Ren and Blake." He explained.

"Ooo! Like a playdate?" Nora exclaimed with glee.

"No," He corrected. "Like a 'date' date." For a moment Nora stared at him, an unreadable expression on her face and for a long moment, it stayed that way.

"Really?" She clarified.

"Yeah…" He responded, slightly worried now. At this, her expression shifted to one of joy.

"Really!?" Nora repeated. "My Best-Friend-Forever and my Partner, together!? Wonderful! Oh, we could hang out all the time, just the three of us!" At her over the top reaction, Jaune laughed, completely forgetting what had made him nervous in the first place. "So, what's the game plan?" The orange haired girl inquired in a faux whisper.

"About the date? Well, I'm going to be serving them dinner in this room. After I get it clean, it'll look nice and romantic."

"Can I help?" Nora begged eagerly. Jaune thought on it a moment. He _had_ planned on doing it by himself… But surely Nora's help wouldn't hurt.

"Why not? Grab a desk, and we can start getting this room into shape."

"On it, Captain!" Nora saluted him before running to carry as many desks as she possible could at once. Jaune wasn't sure if he was more happy from the girl's antics or her happiness for his plan, but regardless, he was a grinning fool the rest of the time setting up.

* * *

By the time they finished, night had nearly eclipsed the land. And, oh boy, were they not tired! Actually, _yes_ , they _were_ not tired. At all in fact. Whether it be boundless stores of energy or a semblance that disabled exhaustion, neither date planner felt remotely tired after their day of manual labor.

Yet still, they sat opposite each other, where Blake and Ren would be sitting later tonight, admiring their work. The dust and grime had been long since scrubbed away, leaving a spotless classroom in their wake. Despite the lack of chairs and desks, the room was certainly not empty. The plethora of potted plants, couches, and other such miscellaneous furniture item spread around gave the room a cozy feel- an idea courtesy of Nora herself. The candle lit table stood slightly off the middle of the room, leaving a spot for dancing to one end. All and all… They did a good job.

"Why are you doing this?" Nora questioned from the silence. Jaune glanced over to see that she was still looking around the room.

"Well, it's a distraction." He answered honestly.

"From…?" She prompted.

"From my fight with Ruby." Nora looked at him.

"The only reason you're setting up Blake and Renny is to distract yourself from your problems?" The N in team PBNY asked. There was no accusation in her voice, yet Jaune couldn't help but feel like she was seeing right through him.

"No!" He rebuked. "Sure, that's one of the reasons, but it's not the _only_ reason. That makes it sound bad. I just… I guess I wasn't doing anything at the time, so why not use my spare time productively by making two of my friends happy?"

"Good." Nora nodded. "I just wanted to check."

"Check what?"

"Check that you weren't secretly evil and the only reason you were setting all this up was so that you could break two hearts and use their grief as some sort of magic for your horribly evil rituals. You know, that sort of stuff." The two stared at each other before Nora's serious facade started to crack. Simultaneously, the two bursted out laughing.

"Rest assured, Nora. I'm not evil." Jaune said as his laughter calmed down. "Everything I do, I do out of love. For my friends and family." Suddenly, a pang of deja vu hit him and Nora stopped laughing. Nothing had changed, yet everything seemed off.

"Right." Nora replied somberly, setting yet another spell of silence for the pair.

The seconds passed, and neither bothered to say a word. Finally, Jaune couldn't bare it anymore, and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Have you ever been in love with someone?"

Of all the questions…

"…Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, it was just the first thing I thought of."

"Hm. Well, yes, I used to. Two someones, actually."

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"We… moved apart. Both times.

"And do you love anyone now?"

"…"

"Nora?"

"...No. I don't."

"Oh."

* * *

 **Special Thanks to my Betas CasualPosting and Macheddy, as always.**

 **Next time, the Date. And don't worry, it won't be nearly as insane as this chapter was. I said that this would be a mystery and I damn well intend to deliver. Last time, I had tried to do something similar in concept, but less obvious. But many people didn't seem to catch on, and I was disappointed with the chapter quality anyway. So this time, my approach was to be much more obvious, albeit, more confusing. Don't worry though, it'll all be explained in time.**

 **Alright, time for the long awaited Review Responses.**

 **Though I've implied this from time to time, I feel a need to clarify it now. New Game Plus isn't really a 'Gamer' fic. Yes, many elements from Gamer fics are used, such as the leveling system and otherwise, but it isn't really the point. What I'm trying to explain is that, the Gamer Elements are merely used as a catalyst for the plot. Unlike many stories where Jaune focuses on his gamer abilities, New Game Plus is much more focused on the plot and characters.**

 **Ugh. I feel like I'm not explaining this properly, but I'll try and word it another way, and you guys can tell me if you understand. What I'm trying to say is, this is a normal story that simply has Gamer elements, as opposed to an actual Gamer story.**

 **Now, I'd like to address a few criticisms about me not liking Jaune or bashing him. Jaune is my favorite character, so that is certainly not the case. And, I'd like to remind people that, though Jaune's had a rough time during his quests, so far, he's managed to succeed on every major event. Now, he hasn't succeeded every time, but that's just what happens in life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.**

 **I'm not going to respond to previous chapter ten reviews, as I feel many aren't many that apply now. And for the rest, this is a mystery story, so I can't exactly answer some of those reviews.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	11. The Happy Couple

"Hey Blake, you look fantastic." Jaune said casually as soon as the door was opened. The girl in question blushed slightly, and Jaune continued. "I could never image you in a proper dress, but you really pull it off."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 10/200**

 **[OK]**

"Yeah, I couldn't really either. But Yang and Nora helped me out, so I can't take all the credit." Blake swatted away his compliment bashfully. Jaune looked past the doorway to reveal Blake's two helpers. Nora gave him a smile and a thumbs up while Yang just glared. He ignored Yang.

"Nonsense." The leader of Team JWLR disagreed. "You would've been stunning no matter what you wore. Ren's socks are gonna be knocked right off."

"Right." She responded simply, her smile firmly in place. For a moment, the two of them just stood there, taking in the happiness of each other. Surely, Jaune reasoned, helping friends out was some sort of drug.

"Get going already!" Nora shouted giddily, knocking them out of their stupor. They laughed it off, and Blake stepped out of the doorway to close it behind her. "And good luck!" The orange haired girl added just before the door closed with a loud click.

With Jaune in the one suit he remembered to pack with him and Blake in her dress, the two certainly stood out in the empty hallways of Beacon. This fact didn't seem to phase Jaune, as he clapped his hands together with determination.

"Alright." He declared. "You go off to the courtyard and I'll make sure your date is prepared. Then, I'll bring him out and he can escort you to our destination." Jaune turned away from Team Penny's room, only to be stopped when a hand clutched his arm. Spinning around revealed to him Blake, no longer with a indullable smile, but instead about to cry. His eyes went wide. Crying?! He wasn't prepared for this!

"Jaune, I- I- Thank you. Thank you _so_ much for this. Doing something so st- stupid and childish. I never really had a chance for this kind of thing after- after-" It was clear she wanted to tell him something important but was unable to spit it out.

"Blake." He tried to stabilize her. "Don't tell me unless you're ready to. I can wait." She had already informed him about her less than stellar past, but that meant nothing if he didn't have specifics. From his side of things, he saw that Blake simply needed someone to talk and connect with, to get the weight of the past off of her chest. Jaune was willing to be that person. But not until she was ready.

"Thank you." She sniffed, trying not to mess up her makeup. "For giving me a second chance."

"As many chances as you need, Blake. Handkerchief?" He offered. Okay, so he wasn't _completely_ unprepared for crying. But what good suit didn't come with a handkerchief? She took up his offer and dabbed her eyes, the smile returning.

"Sorry about that. I'm not usually so emotional."

"It's fine. You're going on a date. You're supposed to be emotional!" He waved her off. "Now go. I'll be there with Ren in just a minute." Finally, the crusader for Faunus rights made her exit, and Jaune was able face Team Jeweler's room. Knocking on the dorm room door, he looked over the quest itself one last time.

 **The Ultimate Wingman**

 **Objective One: Set up a date between Lie Ren and his crush**

 **Time: Three Days**

 **Reward: +5 Bond with Lie Ren, +5 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +5 Bond with Nora Valkyrie, +3 INT, +3 WIS**

 **Failure: -5 Bond with Lie Ren, -5 Bond with Blake Belladonna**

Yeah, he was good to go. The door opened a crack and a pink eye peeked out. The eye looked over Jaune with recognition and the door opened fully. Ren stood in his Beacon uniform, minus the red tie. Instead, he tied up a piece of green fabric from his combat attire to add some flair.

"Jaune." His partner greeted simply. "Why did you have Nora dress me up?" Jaune chuckled. The date was a surprise, but he didn't want Ren to be unprepared. Jaune wouldn't have been able to dress his partner up, so Nora volunteered instead. She'd been a great help. For Blake _and_ Ren.

"Remember all that stuff we were talking about with your crush and helping each other out?" He asked, causing Ren to narrow his eyes.

"Yeah… Why?"

"Well- don't be mad- But I kinda took it upon myself to ask her out on a date for you." In that single instant, Ren went from cautious to panicking, eyes going wide. Before Jaune could say anymore, Ren yanked him inside their dorm and slammed him against a wall.

"Why would you do that?! I trusted you with that information! Do you think you can just-?" With an armbar to the neck, the Team Leader had some trouble answering his subordinate's questions, but was just about able to croak out a sentence.

"She- ghk- Said yes-" Another wave of shock went through Ren and Jaune dropped to the floor like a bag of potatoes, coughing.

"She said yes?" The ninja of his team repeated, as if trying to accustom the words to his mouth. "But that means…" He looked down at himself and what he was wearing.

"Yep. You're going on a date with your crush. Hosted by me."

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 6/200**

 **[OK]**

Sporadic as ever, Ren's anger turned to that of appreciation. Then even quicker, to panic. Babbling like a brook, Ren spat out words and strung along sentences with no coherent meaning, as if unable to process the situation Jaune had just put him in.

Back on his feet, Jaune knew what he had to do. He knew just what Ren needed. Confidence. And confidence was what he would get.

Channeling the spell as he would any other, Jaune concentrated on his panicked partner and visualized a link between Blake and him. Not a single moment of hesitation was had as Jaune placed the spell in action and Ren instantly shut up.

"Who did you say this date was with again?" Ren questioned out of the blue. Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Your crush, Blake. Who else?" The L in Team JWLR smiled wider than he ever had before. It was actually a little heart warming.

"Perfect." And just a bit creepy.

"So shall we commence?" Jaune shook off the previous engagement and added a fanciful accent to himself.

"Indeed." Ren played along, opening the door for the two of them. "Lead the way."

The journey to the courtyard was made in silence, yet there was nothing awkward about it. Instead, Jaune could almost _feel_ the warmth and happiness radiating off of his partner. As he said before, it was nearly like a drug.

Eventually, the pair arrived at the courtyard together, taking in the sight. As beautiful as clearing itself was, Jaune could see that Ren's attention was focused on only one thing entirely. Blake, in her dress, staring into the fountain. Her figure caught the moonlight, and she glowed with the water. Ren was captivated by her beauty, unable to move- And without Gamer's Mind, Jaune might've been too.

Plucking some flowers from the bed adjacent to the path they stood on, Jaune made a nice bouquet. He wouldn't of been surprised if that was against a school rule or something, but it didn't matter. Nobody went by this area of the school anyway.

He tapped Ren on the shoulder and put the bouquet in his hand. No words were exchanged, merely a look of gratitude. Ren marched over to meet his date.

Tonight was gonna be grand.

* * *

Right off the bat, the date was going well. Blake and Ren were easily settled into their seats- quite busy talking to each other- and Jaune was able to set up some music without a problem. For the music, he had chosen a classical mix to play in his Scroll, something that would blend well with the theme of the date. They didn't complain, so he figured he did a good job.

"I'm surprised by the suddenness of the date. I had no idea that you felt this way about me." Blake confessed her ignorance as Jaune poured her a glass of water from a water bottle. Her smile from the flowers- which has since been placed in another water bottle- had yet to fade. Ren, too, shared this expression.

"What can I say, Blake? You have that effect on me. Once I saw you, no amount of aura could have saved me. I was powerless against you." Ren replies as smooth as butter. Blake, naturally, blushed. "But really, as Nora, you, and I hung out more, I realized I wanted to know you better. And what better way to get to know someone than on a date?" He gestured to their surroundings before focusing back on her. "Doesn't hurt that you look absolutely stunning in that dress, though."

Jaune shook his head in amusement at their antics. That spell was doing wonders for Ren, and they were getting along without a hitch! Not that he expected anything bad to happen, but… He never really knew with this game of his. That's why he still had Crocea Mors on him.

"Alright, guys. I'm gonna go get you your dinner- Unless you need anything?" They responded in the negative and he bowed out. "Awesome! You guys are all set."

 **Quest Complete:**

 **The Ultimate Wingman**

 **Objective Complete: Set up a date between Lie Ren and his crush**

 **Failure Avoided: -5 Bond with Lie Ren, -5 Bond with Blake Belladonna**

 **Reward: +5 Bond with Lie Ren, +5 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +5 Bond with Nora Valkyrie, +3 INT, +3 WIS**

 **[OK]**

Wait, what? Tha- That's it?! 'Set up a date' literally just meant 'get it started?!' Well… Damn! Haha! That's fantastic! Now Jaune could continue on without any pressure at all.

Also. This confirmed that Blake was Ren's crush. So, yeah. He was right. Yang was wrong. Bam.

Turning around with a victorious grin, Jaune marched out the door of the modified classroom to grab their food in the kitchen.

 **Phase One:  
** **Objective- Receive Dinner for the Date**

"Of course. One step out the door, just one!" Jaune muttered to himself, dismissing the notification without a second glance. "They never make it easy for me, do they? Why did I even get my hopes up?"

* * *

The walk to cafeteria remained as uneventful as ever, though Jaune couldn't help but be on edge. What was this whole 'phase one' thing? Apparently it wasn't a new mechanic or the game would have informed him. Instead, he was going in blind, only armed with a sword at is side.

Unsurprisingly, the door to the cafeteria remained unlocked, though for some reason the lights didn't shine. Yeah, it was after hours, but Miss Goodwitch has said that she'd prepare the food, right? Walking around the barren, darkened, eating space excited him just about as much as it triggered his paranoia. Any number of beast could hide themselves in the shadows or under the tables, just waiting for the team leader to pass right in reach of their evil talons.

Was he thinking too much into this? Nah.

Despite his worries, no monster came from the shadows for his soul, and Jaune reached the other side of the cafeteria in no time. Like the previous room, however, the kitchen was completely dark, making Jaune once more question how faithful Miss Goodwitch was to her promise.

She said to him that she'd have the cooks prepare a dinner for two, ready by the time the date started. Why? Well, apparently the idea of a date between students was 'cute' to her and he was excelling in all his classes- aside from Combat Class, obviously. Not to mention, she liked him. How that happened, Jaune had no clue, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth? Well, that was him now, apparently, as the gift horse didn't seem to be kicking anymore.

Just as the team leader had his moment of doubt, the lights were suddenly flicked on, causing him to jump and pull out his sword to point at the aggressor. Instead, he found Goodwitch, right next to a trolley with food.

"Mr. Arc! What a surprise." The teacher greeted in a slightly deeper tone than normal, making him raise an eyebrow. A coy smile was plastered on her face and something he couldn't quite recognize in her eyes.

"But you told me to be here… And you saw me come in to turn on the lights." Jaune pointed out. She waved him off, the smile never wavering.

"Semantics, my dear. Semantics." Miss Goodwitch gestured to the food. "Now, are you going to take a look at the food, or not?" The comment spurred him into action.

"Yes, right." The trolley had two plates of food, equally filled with steak, mashed potatoes, and some veggies, all seemingly just above regular cafeteria quality. It wasn't much, but what did he expect from _cafeteria_ food? "Looks good to me. Thank you for your help, Miss Goodwitch. I'm in your debt." The pair shared a smile.

As the looked at each other, Jaune finally started to notice some things. For example, did she always let her hair down like that? And besides that, she wasn't exactly wearing her normal uniform. Instead, opting for a nice _form-fitting_ shirt. Jaune's mouth went dry. Gamer's Mind remained inactive. Noticing his glances, Miss Goodwitch leaned in towards him.

"You know, I think it's a wonderful thing you're doing, setting up a date for your friends. We could all use a little more positivity in our fight against the Grimm, don't you think?"

"Yeah… Definitely, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune agreed.

"How about you call me Glynda. At least, in private." It wasn't a question, it was an order. Jaune blanched. No. She wasn't- Was she? No. He must've been reading into things. Then again… Nope!

"Uh huh. Welp, I think I better deliver the food before it gets cold. I'll be out of your hair now, Mi- Glynda." The leader of Team JWLR grabbed the cast of food and made a break out of the kitchen, only to be stopped in his tracks as it was held in place by a glowing purple light. Crap.

"Leaving so soon? No time to spare even after all I've done for you?" Without even turning around, Jaune could tell from her tone that she now had a slight pout. Something that, before tonight, would've been impossible for him to image on his combat class professor.

"Umm…" He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to think it! The possibility was so far fetched, so _insane_ , that it shouldn't have even been a thought that occurred to him. Yet here he was, wondering that question, having no other choice than to face it.

Was Miss Goodwitch flirting with him?

 **+2 INT and +2 WIS for finally ceasing to be willfully oblivious.**

 **[OK]**

Oh shit. This was actually happening, and the game had confirmed it for him. Glynda Goodwitch, his _teacher_ , was hitting on him. That much was certain.

Now what?!

 **Quest Available:**

 **Going for the A+**

 **Objective One: Successfully flirt with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **Reward: +2 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch, Title: Novice Flirter, Future access to [UNKNOWN] Quest Chain**

 **Failure: -1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch  
** **Failure to accept Quest: None**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

Flirt back? Huff… This game was just full of surprises, wasn't it?

"You're right. That is very rude of me to do." Jaune remarked, referring to his previous actions as he whirled around to meet Glynda once more. Glynda, seemingly surprised by this course of action, raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"To leave such a… 'Wonderful' woman, like yourself, alone on a night like this would simply be… 'Dastardly' of me." Pulling every adjective he could remember from the _Guide on How to Seduce Women Official Handbook_ he read as kid- okay, a year ago, but whatever- Jaune did his best to sound as flirtatious as possible. Miss Goodwitch, apparently, was falling for it.

"Yes. 'Dastardly.'" She giggled.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that, as my loyalties lie elsewhere tonight. But!" Jaune raised his finger. "I give you my word as an Arc, that the next time you call on me for anything you might need, I will be there. And an Arc never goes back on his word. Deal?"

"Whatever I need, huh? I'll take that deal, Mr. Arc. You better hold your side, though." She agreed, playing along.

"Just call me Jaune. Goodnight, Glynda." The team leader's face dropped to a relieved smile and he once more went to wheel the trolley out of the kitchen.

"Goodnight." Miss Goodwitch replied. Before he got fully out the exit, though, she spoke once more. "And Jaune… You need to practice your flirting skills." A mix between disappointment a humor showed on her face one last time. Finally, she turned off the light and disappeared into the shadows.

For Jaune's part, he sped off. Goodwitch was a scary lady when she wanted to be.

 **Quest Complete:**

 **Going for the A+**

 **Objective Complete: Successfully flirt with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **Failure Avoided: -1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **Reward: +2 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch, Title: Novice Flirter, Future access to [UNKNOWN] Quest Chain**

 **[OK]**

Well how about that? Two quests down in one day. Today was just getting better and better.

* * *

Neither Blake nor Ren complained about the temperature of the food when he delivered it. Nor about any part of the food. A surprise, considering its origin. From what he observed as he served the food, the date couldn't have been going better. Ren and Blake, while not in a constant state of flirting, really seemed to be enjoying themselves their company. And really, wasn't that all a good date needed?

 **Phase One Complete!**

"Phase one wasn't too bad." Jaune said to himself as he once more backed out of the room to give the two space. "So what's phase two gonna be?"

 **Phase Two:  
** **Objective- Defend**

"'Defend?' What's that supposed to-"

 _ **THUMP!**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

Slowly, Jaune turned around to see what had landed from the sky behind him. Thinking back on his previous thoughts, Jaune wasn't too surprised by what he found. An Ursa that just destroyed the fountain in the middle of the clearing? Frankly, he was expecting a Nevermore with all the jinxing statements he'd been dropping.

"Isn't that convenient." Jaune sighed, steeling himself and drawing his sword. "I don't suppose anyone else will be coming around to help me, so let's just get this done." Like a good player, though, he first observed the Ursa before attacking.

 **Name: Nicolas  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Ursa  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **HP: 1257/1500**

 **[OK]**

The fall must've hurt it some, but beyond that, the Grimm was only level ten. Wow. It was truly a testament to how far he'd come that level ten Grimm no longer gave him a challenge. Of course, now he would have to put his money where his mouth was, so that claim was still up in the air.

Falling into his 'Aggressive Stance' that Pyrrha taught him, Jaune got ready to go on the offensive. Normally, it was best to go on the defensive and let the opponent attack first, but with the Ursa still slightly disoriented from its fall, the team leader had the advantage.

Lunging, Jaune aimed for the kneecaps in order to further demobilize it. The beast countered with it's paw, still taking damage but protecting the weak points. After the attack, Jaune darted around behind the Grimm, knowing not to stay in one place, and went for a simple stab to the back. The attack landed and Nicolas cried out, lashing towards him in a rapid sweeping motion, kicking up some of the water and rubble from the once magnificent fountain.

The leader of Team JWLR dodged the initial swipe, but was unable to avoid the debris flying towards him. They did minimal damage, but distracted him enough for the Ursa to regain a sense of balance and position. _Now_ it was time for the 'Defensive Stance.'

Without his shield, Jaune was screwed in the ways of blocking, and instead parried blows by dodging them completely before striking. Consciously, he was fully focused on the fight, but subconsciously, he was taking note of the effectiveness in this strategy. Why learn how to take hits, when you can just never be hit at all? Unfortunately for him, there would sometimes be situations where he would get hit no matter what- Like whenever the game saw fit- But he couldn't underestimate the usefulness of dexterity.

Eventually, the Ursa wore down before Jaune did, and started to falter in its attacks. As such, the battle came to a close with Jaune stabbing Crocea Mors right through the Grimm's neck. Experience was gained, the sword was sheathed, and Jaune dusted himself off.

Yeah, he _had_ come a long way.

Unfortunately, though, Phase Two did not end there, and instead left Jaune wondering what would come next in the middle of the courtyard. In the meantime, he decided to inspect the damage upon the fountain, kicking some of the rubble for no particular reason.

"That Ursa really did a number on it. I wonder if the school will replace it, or if they won't even realize it's been broken." Not to mention, considering the low attendance and staff rate, they probably couldn't even afford it. "Shame. Maybe I'll do it myself, and gain that always useful 'Stone Working' skill." Jaune joked.

 **Quest Available:**

 **Exclusive Exterior Installations**

 **Objective One: Replace the Fountain**

 **Reward: +2 STR, +1 END, +1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **Failure: -1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch  
** **Failure to accept Quest: None**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

The leader of Team JWLR scoffed and shook his head. Sometimes this game was his nightmare, and other times it was a total joke! Almost bipolar, in a way. Regardless, the quest seemed easy enough- Not necessarily asking him to create a _new_ fountain, but rather _replace_ it- so he accepted.

So what was that now- Three active quests he had going on? The mystery woman, the quest chain he was promised from Glynda, and now this. The game was always an obvious RPG, but now it seemed to be transitioning from the more 'linear' to 'open world' dynamic. Jaune couldn't be sure whether this was a good thing or bad thing, however. More opportunities for quests and rewards also meant more opportunities for danger.

Jaune found himself unable to keep this train of though for much longer, as a loud groan made itself known, followed by much quieter ones shortly after. The team leader wasn't sure where they were coming from, but if he heard it, Blake and Ren certainly did, meaning this was the next part of Phase Two.

As he followed the sounds to their source, Jaune couldn't help but ponder what enemy he'd be going up against. What Grimm _groaned_? He'd heard growls, roars, screeches, and the like, but never a _groan_ before. Even thinking over the Grimm he hadn't faced yet- such as the ones that possessed rocks and looked half horse half human- there didn't seem to be any candidates that groaned. And if that was the case, this was an obscure Grimm. And that did _not_ bode well for him.

Finally, he narrowed down the guttural noise to yet another abandoned classroom. The groans had also now gone from frequent and contained to sporadic, making Jaune guess that whatever he was about to face was getting really worked up.

"Second verse, same as the first." The leader reassured himself, taking a deep breath and drawing his sword. And on a three count, Jaune kicked open the door with a battlecry.

 _ **BANG!**_

"Come at m-! Me?" Surprisingly, the classroom he was about to do battle in was not filled with any Grimm he recognized. In fact, there didn't seem to be any Grimm at all. What he _did_ immediately notice, though, was a slightly older student with her legs splayed out on the desk, and a rabbit Faunus in a… 'Compromising' position. Needless to say, Gamer's Mind has to nullify lust.

Hearing his entrance, the older student with chocolate brown hair shot up from her position and instinctively closed her legs- Trapping the Faunus below her. For a full two seconds that seemed akin to an eternity, nothing happen before the student finally spoke.

"Don't look!" She screeched, causing Jaune to jump into action and averted his gaze.

"I'm so sorry!" He instantly replied. "I'll leave you be, sorry!" This was _not_ part of the phase… Right?

"No!" She yelled before he got a chance to make his escape. "If you leave, I'll track you down and rip your balls off!" Despite her position, the top girl still managed to make a threat. Who the hell was the girl? Jaune stopped in the doorway, turning back to the girl, unsure of how to proceed.

"Umm…"

"Just turn around!" She finally ordered, allowing the compromised Faunus back up. Jaune complied and after a few seconds of shuffling feet in the background, he was brought back around.

During the awkward stare off that ensued, Jaune was now able to get a better look at the two… 'Compatriots.' Both has brown hair, brown eyes, and a small stature, though the Faunus' was much more pronounced. The rabbit Faunus also seemed somewhat familiar- Not in the sense that all Faunus looked the same, but in the sense that he'd possibly shared a class with her. Regardless, the Faunus wore a heavy blush on her face, while the other girl simply looked pisses off. Seeing as they were going nowhere fast, Jaune tried to initiate a conversation.

"So… I'm Jaune Arc, a first year."

"I don't care-"

"Velvet Scarlatina, second year." The Faunus introduces herself before the other one could properly brush him off. The unnamed girl glanced at Velvet, giving her a small glare while the Faunus smiled abashedly. Sighing, the girl shook her head.

"Coco Adel." Coco greeted tersely. "Now. I don't care what you were doing here and I don't care that you saw us. This relationship is a secret, and if that changes, it's _your_ head. Got it, first-y?" She capitalized her point by poking him in the chest. Even though he towered over her, she still came off as much more threatening.

"Of course! I would never-" He started, but Coco cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it. Just forget this ever happened and leave."

"Yeah…" The team leader trailed off. The internal debate lasted for a mere second as he decided to press onwards. "But I have to ask, why keep this a secret?"

"Well," Coco went to rebut, but Velvet had already started speaking. "There have been a decent amount of anti-Faunus students who've come to Beacon in the last two years, and I didn't want to pull down Coco's reputation with them." At this, the brown haired human finally broke cool, blushing slightly and frowning.

"Hey! You know that's not it." Turning to Jaune, Coco suddenly felt the need to explain herself. "Another member of the team, Fox, is opposed to Faunus, and is already a pain in the ass to deal with as is. If he were to find out I was dating Velvet, I'd lose any progress I had to switching his views and the team would be fractured. He's getting better, but until then, _this_ has to be a secret." Then she turned to the Faunus. "And don't say things like that, Vel… You know I love you…" Vel beamed at this and pulled Coco into a tight hug.

"I know, my Candybar! I just wanted to hear you say it again!" Velvet squealed in delight as her companion leaned into their embrace.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jaune said, enjoying their cute antics. "I never knew how hard Faunus had it until just recently. My friend Blake is a big Faunus rights activist." As he said Blake, the Rabbit Faunus' ears perked up.

"You're friends with Blake Belladonna?"

"I am."

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Velvet Scarlatina  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"She's great, isn't she? Only her first year, and she already helped me resolve several conflicts brought my way. You'd think she was doing it as a profession!" Jaune chuckled at how on the nose that was, and Coco shook her head.

"There wouldn't _be_ any conflicts to resolve if you'd just kick his ass already." She complained.

"You know I can't do that." Velvet reminded. "It's the same reason we don't beat up Fox. If we showed them violence, they'd just become more resolved in their hatred. Only through peace, does one end war." The short haired brunette rolled her eyes.

"You got into one of Yatsuhashi's quote books, didn't you?" Getting her answer by her lover's giggle, Coco continued. "I guess you're right though. We wouldn't want to put an end to his Huntsman career too early. He's only just got here." Looking back at Jaune, Coco have a slight smile. "Well, you're friends with Belladonna. And it seems that Velvet has taken a liking to you, so I guess we're cool in my book."

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Coco Adel  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

"Blake's actually the reason I'm here." The leader of JWLR told them, finally remembering why he was there. "She's on a date with my partner right now and strolling around to make sure nobody interrupted… Which was when I stumbled upon you guys."

"She's on a date?!" Velvet shouted, then realized something. "Oh! Were we being too loud? I'm really sorry about that! We'll find somewhere else to go for tonight, and you can go back to making her night special. Right, my Candybar?" Velvet gave her a pouty look and Coco sighed.

"I can never resist that face, damn it… Fine. We'll find somewhere else to go. Just make sure she has a nice night, alright?"

"You can count on it." Jaune promised, making the two smile.

"See ya." They departed, leaving Jaune all on his own. Well, that wasn't so bad.

 **Phase Two Complete!**

Bam! Once more, he completed a phase without a challenge. Truly, the game had never been going better.

* * *

Jaune arrived back to the redecorated classroom just as Blake and Ren were finishing up dinner. If the commotion outside disturbed them, they didn't show it at all.

"-and I were on the road for a while after that. Of course, I was devastated, but once we were no longer under threat of death, she made it all the better. Truly, I couldn't have asked for a better friend- Through… Her pancake addiction is a bit much." Ren explained, to a somber Blake. It was clear that their conversation had gone a little dark, but both were too engrossed in the conversation to care.

"Yeah." Blake agreed to his little joke, lightening her mood. "To be honest, at first I was slightly worried about being paired up with Nora- Considering her vast stores of energy- but I can't say that it's been a bad experience with her. I think that I've always needed a little happiness in my life, like this date, especially ever since-"

 _ **CRASH!**_

As the leader of Team Jeweler had leaned on a table, taking in the sight of his two friends connecting so intimately, he unfortunately leaned in _too_ much, and knocked a few things over. None were more valuable than decorations, sans Jaune's own scroll, which had been playing the music and was nine smashed to bits.

"Crap." Jaune exclaimed, as he quickly worked to pick up the mess. "I was gonna have the two of you dance after dinner." He addressed the dates. "Do either of you have a scroll I can borrow to set the playlist back up?"

"I didn't bring mine." Blake stated regretfully.

"Nor I." Ren added. "But my scroll is just on desk charging. If you want, go get that and I'll unlock it for you." Jaune nodded.

"Right. I'll be back as soon as possible. Sorry about this!" Jaune called as he rushed to his dorm.

 **Phase Three:  
** **Objective- Acquire Music**

Annoying, but not too bad. The date was coming to a close anyhow, so this would hopefully be the last phase he'd have to go through.

* * *

"Oh… Hey." Jaune was taken aback as he walked into his dorm room and closed the door behind him.

"… Hey." Ruby replied, paused from going through her stuff as if she was caught red handed. There was a moment of silence as they just stared at each other, and Jaune swallowed.

"What're you doing here?" He asked in the most non-confrontational way possible. Ruby adjusted herself to face him, finding it difficult to move through the tension that laid atop them.

"I'm grabbing my stuff to bring to Team Penny's room."

"Because you're still sleeping there… Right." The petite hunter rubbed the back of her neck.

"And you? I thought you'd be hosting Blake and Ren's date right now. That's… Kinda why I came."

"Yeah. I was, but I broke my scroll that was playing the music, so I came to get Ren's." He explained, pointing over to it on the desk behind her. She walked over to grab it, and he walked over to meet her. When she turned around, the reaper jumped back, surprised to see him so close though he was still a few get away.

"Here." She reaches out to him, and he brought his hand to meet her. He grabbed it, and- unconsciously or not- Ruby's hand moved to touch his. They stood that way for a moment, maintaining the briefest amount of contact before they finally separated and Jaune took the scroll.

"Thanks." He said awkwardly. Turning back around, Jaune made his way to the door, but stopped just before grabbing the handle.

A third deep breath. And he turned around.

"Ya know, you should really give Weiss a chance." He insisted.

"Oh this again!" Ruby scoffed and immediately got into a defensive stance. "This isn't grade school, Jaune. You can't just force the two of us to say sorry and then be friends the next day. She hasn't done _anything_ to deserve my forgiveness, so why should I give it to her?!"

"She can't do anything to deserve forgiveness when you won't allow her to be near you for more than five seconds." Jaune reasoned, keeping his voice level. "I'm not telling you to forgive her, I'm just asking you to not treat her like dirt, for once. Th-" He cut himself off from mentioning 'how Weiss feels' as it wouldn't have gone over too well with Ruby.

"Giving her a chance _is_ forgiveness, Jaune. And you don't forgive people just like that-"

"I will." Jaune cut in, making Ruby pause. "When you finally apologize, I'll forgive you. Just like that." They stared at each other for a moment, though Ruby broke their contest relatively quickly.

"Well… I'm still waiting for _you_ to apologize. When you do, we can get back to being friends already."

"I'm sorry." He said, causing her attention to turn back towards him.

"What?"

"When we fought, I lost control of my emotions and I snapped at you. I should've heard you out as your friend, but I didn't. That's _my_ fault and I regret it immensely. I should've listened to your problems, but I didn't, and here we are."

"Jaune, I-"

"However." He insisted. "Not giving Weiss a chance, getting mad at me, and everything else- That's on _you_. And when you're ready to apologize for it, you know what I'll say."

Once more, the two team members came to a stand still, and Jaune stood there with bated breath. After a few seconds of Ruby not moving, he sighed and turned back around.

"Have a good day… Ruby." He dismissed with a frown as he walked out the door. His frown waned considerably, though, when he could've sworn that he heard a 'you too' from behind him, just as he closed the door.

Things seemed bad now, but maybe there was hope after all.

* * *

"And now… The music!" Jaune announced, as the scroll floated back to life with sound.

 **Phase Three Complete!**

"Nice job, Jaune. Now if only you didn't break your scroll to begin with-" Ren commented.

"Alright, alright." Jaune waved off the heckle. "I got it back, didn't I?"

"And that was very brave of you." Blake praised with a smirk. Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"Ok. Now you're just making fun of me, aren't you?" He pointed out, though his smirk betrayed his serious tone.

"Maybe." Blake replied simply, a coy smile on her lips. The leader of Team JWLR shook his head at her antics.

"Anyway. I'll be out of your hair now, feel free to do as you wish. Dance, talk, spend the night however you'd like. Tonight, it's for _you_."

 **+3 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 18/200**

 **[OK]**

 **+3 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: 14/200**

 **[OK]**

"Thank you." Ren thanked sincerely- and Jaune could tell Blake felt by her grin. Giving them a nod, he strolled out the room with a sense of accomplishment carrying his feet.

Then he popped back in.

"Well, it's actually a school night _so_ …" His warning died at their raised eyebrows. "Actually- You guys are fine. Have a good night!" Jaune _finally_ said farewell, slamming the door behind him.

Sitting down at a bench just outside the classroom, Jaune sighed in relief. With Gamer's Body, he never truly got tired or sore, but even _with_ the skill, he could feel this day's toll on his body. Jaune closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, peacefully listening to the muffled music behind him.

Vaguely, he imagined Blake and Ren dancing behind him, enjoying the fruits of his labor. Ahh… He was a good friend. And boy, did it feel good get a big quest like this done without much of a hassle.

"Hey Jaune-y!" A high pitched voice knocked him out of his thoughts- and subsequently out his seat. Regaining himself, Jaune turned to see who had assaulted him.

"Oh, hey Nora. I didn't hear you walking up to me."

"Nope." The bubbly girl agreed. "How's the date going? Did you run into any trouble?"

"Great, actually." Jaune reported with a smile. "And barely any trouble at all. Everything went over fairly easy." Nora gained a puzzled look for a moment, then went back to grinning.

"Awesome! So how did my favorite partner and bestest friend enjoy themselves?"

"See for yourself." Jaune gestured to the window in the door, and the two of them peered inside.

It seemed that they had finally finished their conversation, and now Ren was pulling Blake onto the dance floor. She rejected him at first, but was eventually coerced with a smile on her face. Together, the two began to dance the night away.

"Wow… I never knew Ren had it in him…" Nora admired, slightly offset by Ren's major moves. She whipped her head towards Jaune. "What did you do to him?"

"What do you mean?" The team leader exclaimed, affronted. "I didn't do anything to him." Nora continued to glare, like a mother scolding her children. And June caved as such. "I just… Gave him a bit of a confidence booster, is all." She turned back to the dancing, which was started to get slow.

"Confidence booster…?" She muttered to herself. "What does that mean?" Jaune shrugged.

"It's a thing I can do, I guess." At this, Nora turned back to the window.

"As long as it works, I suppose." She said without further questioning.

They sat in silence, simply watching Ren and Blake dance with each other, for who knows how long. Jaune, in particular, found himself unable to rip his eyes off the pair- As if something beyond him forced him still. The dancers boogied, twirled, and everything in between, unimaginable delight present in the eyes. But finally, all good things came to an end as the final, slowest song rang from Jaune's playlist. Hesitantly, Ren and Blake came together, and Blake rested her head on Ren's shoulder.

 **+3 Bond with:  
** **Nora Valkyrie  
** **Bond LV: 12/200**

 **[OK]**

"They _actually_ enjoyed this." Nora commented, slightly impressed. "And not only that, but they _really_ enjoyed this. I can tell just by Ren's face. And I don't need Blake's face to know how she's feeling."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Jaune asked cockily.

"Yes. Lots." Nora responded, as blunt as her own hammer.

Whatever whispered conversation Ren and Blake has came to a close, and the two got more into the dance than just the steps. Finally, the climax arrived when Ren spun Blake out, then in, and dipped her for the finish.

And they stared at each other, breathing heavy.

And Ren leaned in.

And they closed their eyes.

And Blake puckered up.

And-

 **Error: Glitch Detected-**

 **Skill:Confidence=Null  
** **Display:Confidence=True  
** **Skill:Charm=True  
** **Display:Charm=Null**

 **Correcting…**

…

…

…

 **Correcting Completed**

 **Skill:Confidence=Null  
** **Display:Confidence=Null  
** **Skill:Charm=True  
** **Display:Charm=True**

 **Skill:Charm=[Temporarily Shut Down for Maintenance]**

 **Wiping Glitch from Memory…**

…

…

…

 **Wipe Completed**

"I… 'Charmed' him?" Jaune suddenly said to himself, momentarily forgetting what was going on. Nora snapped towards him with wide eyes, but was unable to speak before someone cut her off.

"What the fuck?!" Ren shouted from the room, followed by the 'thud' of Blake to the floor. Seeing this, Jaune quickly entered the room.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" Jaune immediately asked, but Ren wasn't listening.

"What the fuck was that?! What just happened to me?!" The 'R' of Team JWLR flipped out. Then he glanced over and saw Jaune. "You! You did this to me, didn't you? Well?!"

 **-17 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: -3/200**

 **[OK]**

"I- Uh- Well, yes, but-"

"You mother fucker!" Ren roared, not allowing Jaune more than a few words. "How did you do it?" He approached closer, ignoring Blake who'd scampered off to the corner. "Actually, I don't care. Whether it was your semblance or something else, I don't give a shit, just _don't do it again_." The ninja was furious, and as he came towards Jaune, he seemed to grow in both size and anger. "Where do you get off, on controlling people's minds and making them think the thoughts you want them to think? Huh?! Was this just some sick joke for you? Did I get your goddamned rocks off?!" Jaune flinched, and found himself pressed against the wall.

 **-20 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: -23/200**

 **[OK]**

"I just wanted you to have a nice date with your crush…" The team leader said meekly.

"My crush was _Nora_! You stupid fucking idiot! Why the hell would anyone ever have a crush on Miss. Moody-Edgy-Faunus anyway?!" Ren lashed out faster than Jaune could blink, and raised the gamer off the ground by the throat. "If I _ever_ find out that you were inside my head _ever_ again, I. Will. Kill. You." Ren releases his grip, and Jaune fell to the ground, gasping for air.

 **-24 Bond with:  
** **Lie Ren  
** **Bond LV: -47/200**

 **[OK]**

Without looking back, Ren marched

out the door, leaving Jaune and Blake behind. Said girl, actually came over and helped Jaune up.

 **-10 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 8/200**

 **[OK]**

"What was that?" Blake asked, her face as blank as the day he met her.

"I used… My 'semblance' to make Ren go on this date with you." Jaune explained, his voice cracking slightly.

 **-3 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 5/200**

 **[OK]**

"Why?"

"He was feeling nervous, and I wanted the both of you to have a good time."

"So you mind controlled him?"

"No! I- Well… It's hard to explain. Something went wrong. I just wanted to make him more confident."

 **-6 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: -1/200**

 **[OK]**

"You lied to me."

"What?"

"You told me that Ren had a crush on me. You _lied_."

"I didn't know, I thought he was talking about you. Yang only told me the truth this morning."

"So you knew?"

"Only-"

 **-4 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: -5/200**

 **[OK]**

"So _you_ _knew_ and you didn't call the date off?"

"… Yes."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I just wanted to make my friends hap-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

After the brutal slap that nearly sent Jaune to the ground, Blake walked away, seemingly as calm and cold as ever. From that conversation, one might say that Blake didn't even feel that strongly on the matter, but Jaune knew the truth. He saw everything in her eyes, the anger, the despair, the betrayal, all of it.

They didn't understand what had happened. They didn't understand the situation he had been in- Then again, neither did he, truly. But despite that, Jaune had hurt them. That was plain and simple to see. And while emotions failed to set in for the team leader, the thought of failure was all consuming in his mind.

He failed… And then the emotions came.

"Damnit!" Jaune yelled, kicking over the nearby table in frustration and anger. Why?! Why was it that every time he got close to making true friends, this damn game destroyed everything he built? Why did it insist on ruining his life and going against his every word?!

"I didn't even do anything wrong this time!" He cried out to nobody. Something had gone wrong. He remembered using the charm skill on Ren, but also distinctly remembered using it for the purpose of 'Confidence'- which didn't even make sense. Something has gone wrong, and yet, the game refused to tell him what. "It's a curse!" Jaune shouted, kicking another chair before falling to the ground. "This isn't fair…"

 **-10 Bond with:  
** **Nora Valkyrie  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"Life's not fair." Nora stated, moving to stand over his body and blocking the ceiling light from his view. "Life's not just some game, with rules and regulations. Life's a bitch. One that will do anything and everything to make you miserable. However, that doesn't mean you have to give up." Jaune frowned. Nora didn't sound like her old self at all, but rather… Like his mother, telling him the truths of the world- Not that he could bring himself to care.

"But how do I fix this?"

"You continue forward. Life's not a game that you can 'win' to fix all your problems. And truly, there's no way to just 'fix' this. But… Dwelling in the past will get you nowhere soon… So continue on, as come to peace with your past. Only then, will you be satisfied."

"… Right."

The advice was unsatisfying. As was the ending.

* * *

 **I HAVE RETURNED! FINALLY!**

 **Now down to business.**

 **I'm already sure that people will be confused about why Blake was in tears at the beginning of the chapter, but I'd like to make it clear once more that these character are NOT the ones in the show. Something happened to them, and that's the mystery. Why would Blake be so emotional? Well, you'll have to wait to find out.**

 **Jaune's not gonna bang Glynda. As funny as that would be, it simply isn't that type of story. As for what her future questline may provide for him… That's yet another thing to find out.**

 **Just to clarify, Jaune HASN'T made up with Ruby. I just want to make that clear. He's extended the olive branch, but she has yet to accept it.**

 **And then there was Ren and Blake... Yeah... Anyway.**

 **Now about the reviews.**

 **On what I said last time, this story is still primarily a mystery story. However, I'm not simply abandoning the 'gamer' aspect of it. I might have come across as saying that, but the gamer aspect is intrinsically linked with the mystery of the story. So that's what I really meant.**

 **No, I know nothing about Donnie Darko or Primer, sorry.**

 **And as always, thank you all for the support and patience.**

 **This chapter took forever to get out, but worry not. Starting sometime around when I post this, I'll be holding myself to typing 1000 words a day. This should allow me to finish The Hero chapters in three to four days (minus editing) and New Game Plus chapters in six to seven days (minus editing). Now, this doesn't mean I'm gonna get a chapter out a week, as I do have other projects too work on, but I will try to get them out quicker.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**

* * *

 **Edit- Okay, so I don't normally respond to reviews until the next chapter, or at least the next day, but I've received a lot of criticism and I feel the need to clarify myself more.**

 **This ending was not forced. Yes, the glitch mechanic was added with the last chapter's edit, but the ending was always bound for failure. Jaune thought Ren liked Blake, and we knew he was wrong. Of course things would go wrong, and the charm glitch only added to how bad things got.**

 **On top of that, these relationships are not permanent. We've seen how the 'bonds' change drastically within the course of hours. Not to mention, Jaune was actually making things better with Ruby. So not everybody hates Jaune.**

 **Of course, I thank all the reviewers who pointed out their grievances with the story, but I do feel they are misplaced.**


	12. Picking Up The Pieces

Some amount of time after Jaune's failed attempt at hosting a date, the leader of Team JWLR was on to other things. Of course, making it up to Blake and Ren was still on the forefront of his mind, but that didn't mean he couldn't focus on other problems. Such breakneck running towards Weiss with Crocea Mors as she tried to use her glyphs to block his advance.

So far, only fifteen meters away, so good. However, considering his need to constantly zigzag around, he wasn't as close to his opponent as was seen.

Currently, the two were located inside one of Beacon's many practice arenas, and as such, no people watched on from the stands. Jaune found this unfortunate as, now only five meters away, he was about to land his first hit on the white haired heiress.

As his running turned him away from his target, Jaune suddenly pulled a complete one eighty, and dashed back towards the Schnee.

"Gotcha!" He shouted in victory, merely a meter away from Weiss, before his face was smashed into a utterly solitary glyph. The team leader fell flat on his ass, and groaned in pain for the moments when Gamer's Body wasn't active.

"First of all, never assume victory. Not even if it's assured. _In fact_ , if you think your victory is assured, you are most certainly going to lose." Weiss lectured while standing over him. Her face held stern, but as he pathetically looked up at her, the facade was broken and she reached out a hand with a humored sigh.

"Yeah… I guess I was just excited to win for once." Jaune said, silently self deprecating. Weiss actually laughed at that.

"You _have_ one once. Against _me_ , remember? Not to mention, you do realize that I've only ever won twice, right?" Weiss explained, making Jaune raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Really?"

"Yes, against Blake and some random student. I lost my fights against Yang and Cardin because I got too cocky and they easily overpowered me, I technically forfeited to you, I lost my rematch against Blake, and- Well- _again_ against Blake… Ms. Goodwitch likes pitting me against Blake, actually." She trailed off, probably wondered why the 'randomized battle generator' kept putting the same people together. This was also probably to hide the growing feeling of embarrassment she felt from him.

"Regardless," She continued. "There are more important things to discuss." Weiss took a moment to summarize her thoughts. "Speed is _not_ dodging. Sure, speed helps. But just because you're able to go fast, doesn't mean that you'll avoid everything. That's exactly why Ruby Rose keeps losing her own battles. The majority of dodging, though, actually revolves around expecting enemy strikes and thinking quick enough to interpret them."

"Okay." Jaune confirmed that he was indeed listening.

"When I tried to block you running away from me, that should have been a sign that I was moving you to turn around. Had I not done that, the direction you were running would have been to my favor. Ergo, obvious bait." The heiress stated, sounding slightly proud- more proud than usual anyway.

"It wasn't _that_ obvious…" Her leader complained.

"Not yet," The white haired girl shook her head. "But that's what we're training for. Even I need to work on this. It's certainly not an easy skill to master. Not only do you need to know the ins and outs of every form of attack, and not only the exceptions to the attacks, but you must also be able to predict what's coming a second before it even occurs."

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Auto Dodge**

 **[OK]**

"Jeez. I never realized dodging was so complicated." Janie rubbed the back of his head, slightly overwhelmed.

"Yes… my training was basically do or die when it came to dodging." Weiss let her defenses down slightly.

"Who trained you?" Janie asked an innocent question, only for his companion's walls to shoot right back up.

"Don't worry about that. All I'm saying is that true dodging is difficult to master."

"I understand." Jaune replied, relenting the point. "But can we take a break now?" He wasn't physically tired- Gamer's Body wouldn't let that happen- but more mentally tired from thinking on his feet so much. Apparently, Gamer's Mind didn't cover that. Weiss chuckled.

"I'm actually surprised you didn't call for one sooner." She said sitting next to him on one of the many benches that littered the edge of the arena.

"If there's one thing I've mastered, Weiss," Jaune claimed with supreme confidence. "It's stamina." To this, the heiress raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Well I'll just have to test that claim, won't I?" He knew she was referring to the training, but couldn't help but raise an eyebrow back at her. "What? Why are you doing that? What did I-"

There was a pause as Weiss final realized the content of her words.

"I- I- That's- That's not what I meant!" The normally eloquent girl spluttered, her face turning as red as her rival's cloak. At this point though, Jaune was laughing too hard to hear her.

* * *

' _Most historians are in agreement that the Great War started long before any official document declared it so. However, there is debate as to whether these preceding Great War events started with the Bridges Massacre or even earlier with the Lightning Dust Malfunction-'_

Jaune groaned as he read the same paragraph for the ninth time in a row. Despite his best efforts, his attempt at studying was still trumped by his thoughts on Ren and Blake. A week later, and it still felt like the incident only occurred yesterday. Maybe this was a lost hope. The library was nearly empty at this time at night, and he was considering just retiring to bed, though he had accomplished nothing.

The team leader, caught up in his own thoughts, didn't spot the person approaching next him until she cleared her throat to signal her arrival.

"Wha-? Oh. Hi Weiss." Jaune greeted.

"Hello Jaune." They stood there, looking at each other for a bit, before Weiss finally spoke again. "Umm… May I sit here?" She gestured to the chair next to him.

"Well, no one else is." He joked without any real passion. When she didn't move, he clarified himself. "Yes, you can sit." The heiress did so, and pulled out her own textbook to read. However, Jaune was well aware of the continuous sideways glances she was giving him while 'studying.'

"What are you studying?" She awkwardly inquired. The leader of Team JWLR just slammed his book shut and sighed.

"I have no idea." He replied honestly.

"Something on you mind?" Weiss questioned, though it was much more like a statement than a question. Jaune chuckled.

"So you've heard the gossip, I'm guessing?" He shook his head. "Well, yeah. There's been some stuff on my mind. I don't suppose you would have any remedies to my situation?"

"Well… If by 'remedies' you mean advice, then I might actually have something."

"Oh?" Jaune said, intrigued. At his full attention, Weiss looked away from him.

"Just… Give me a minute to gather my thoughts." It was here when Jaune realized how different from usual Weiss was acting. The Weiss he knew was always as eloquent as possible with her words, and she never got _embarrassed_ when he looked at her. Something must have really been bothering her… And with the possibility of that being _his_ problem, Jaune smiled. Maybe she did care after all.

"In the business world," Weiss began when her thoughts were finally collected. "People who are faced with faced with choices always make a list- Maybe not a physical one, but they always do. This list is a pros and cons list. And- Umm-" She shook her head, getting back into gear. "Business men can't simply use emotion to make their choices. They have a bottom line, they have employees, people count on them. They need to make decisions based off the greater good. So perhaps you don't have people counting on you like that, but if you're ever faced with a decision that you just aren't sure about… You can make a list, and see what option is better for the greater good."

Together, the pair ruminated on the heiress' advice. And eventually, Jaune came to a decision.

"Thank you for the advice, Weiss. I think it may come in handy." At Jaune's acceptance, Weiss preened and smirked as if she knew what he would say all along.

"Well, of course it will. It's _my_ advice, after all." Now that was the Weiss he knew. The leader of Team JWLR smirked, knowing her confidence to be a facade. Suddenly, a idea came to his mind.

"Hey… Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"Since your advice was so amazing, would you be able to teach me something else?"

"Of course I could. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to know how to dodge."

* * *

Jaune came down on his opponent with a forward slash, making her take a step back to not be overwhelmed. His shield came up right behind, though she was able to successfully block it.

Keeping up the pressure, Jaune accurately expected and blocked an incoming kick, then used the position to have the enemy falter in their stance. She did so, and Jaune followed that with his own kick. This landed, and his opponent stumbled back to the edge of the ring, stabilizing just before she was knocked out.

The leader of Team JWLR actually _threw_ his shield at her, and followed the attack up closely with yet another forward strike. With this, the match was over…

Or it would have been, if Pyrrha hadn't simply dodged the last attack, and used his momentum to knock _him_ out of the ring instead.

"Great job!" Pyrrha praised as she helped Jaune back onto his feet. "You're getting much better. You almost defeated _me_!"

"Yeah right," Jaune scoffed. "Were you even using a quarter of your full power?" His suedo-teacher's face turned as bright as her hair when he caught her in the lie. Regardless, she regained composure quickly.

"Well, I'm not lying when I say that you're doing much better than you use to. Throwing your shield at me to keep me off guard while you closed in? You would have never thought of that when we first started. You're improving, Jaune. Plain and simple."

"I know you're just saying that, but thanks anyway." Jaune dashed the compliment away.

"It's true!" She insisted.

"Pyrrha," Jaune leveled with her. "I am literally the worst student in this school. And that's just backed up by fact."

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, copying his tone. "That's not true, and you know it. You've aced nearly every exam you've taken, and in Dr. Oobleck's-"

" _That's_ different." The two leaders disagreed with each other. "I was talking about fighting, and you know it."

"Then what I said applies even more so! There is not a single student here in Beacon that puts in more work than you do when it comes to fighting, and no matter how many times you fall down, you _still_ get back up. You might now be as strong or skilled as the others, Jaune, but you improvisational skills and quickly thought plans put Cardin on the ropes every time- Even if the score doesn't reflect that. That is what makes you special, more than just the other guys. Now, you need to cultivate that skill, and with time, you will be a great warrior."

"Wow…" Jaune was taken aback. Desperately, he tried to hide his blush, but Gamer's Ming refused to kick in. "You really know how to inflate a person's ego… Thanks Pyrrha."

"That's what I'm here for." She replied with a smile. Suddenly, her face became less than friendly. "Now, I want twenty sets in your aggressive stance."

"Wait, but I thought I was gonna learn some more special aura skills today." He pointed out before Pyrrha smacked him with the broad side of her sword, snapping him into position.

"No special moves until you've learned the basics. Now I want _twenty-five_. Go!"

* * *

"I think-" Pyrrha cut herself off for the fourth time. Standing in the middle of the hallway, Jaune really had no idea what the champion wanted from him, yet he waited for her regardless.

Just a day or so after the date fiasco, Pyrrha had talked to him for the first time in a while and peppered him with questions. Jaune answered as best he could but he hadn't really been in the talking 'mood' at the time. A day later, he apologized for his rudeness. Pyrrha, seemingly delighted by this news, told him that she would be talking to him about something important soon. And, well, here it was.

"Did you mean to put Ren under mind control?" She inquired, finally addressing him directly.

"It certainly wasn't on purpose." Jaune explained, though things were a little more complicated than that. Claiming that his semblance, which turned his life into a video game, made him do it, probably wouldn't have helped his case. If it wasn't for the situation he found himself in, as well, Jaune might've found the causal way people were referring to mind control as amusing.

Pyrrha accepted this answer and continued to think a bit more. Finally, when the leader of Team JWLR was starting to bore, she announced her results.

"Alright. It took me awhile, but I've finally realized that this whole situation is a big misunderstanding." The champ looked to him like she had solved all his problems, but he simply raised an eyebrow.

"I mean… I could've told you that." He reasoned, but she shook her head.

"No no no. I mean, it's a _misunderstanding_."

"Yeah, you said that."

"Huff… No. The problem being a misunderstanding means that everyone can just move past this. There is no consequence. No lasting one, at least." Jaune laughed at her nativity. Since when was Pyrrha more innocent than Ruby? "That's in one of the books I've been reading recently."

"If only it were that easy, Pyrrha. Unfortunately, there _were_ consequences. Probably lasting ones."

"Well then things couldn't have simply been a misunderstanding. If it had, all that would have to be done is for everyone to explain the misunderstanding and all would be right. This must be something more…" Pyrrha explained, donning her thinking face once more.

"Pyrrha, you don't have to do this for me. I can deal with my own problems." To this, Pyrrha 'tsk'ed and told him to shush. Hmm. Jaune had never really seen this side of her before. Maybe he'd let her do her thing, just to see what would happen.

"Not on purpose… Hmm…" She pondered once more. "Then… It must've been an accident!" Jaune opened his mouth, but Pyrrha cut him off. "Before you say something obvious, Jaune, let me explain. The problem being an accident means that you are at fault- but not at fault for doing something wrong- Rather, you are at fault for the inconvenience that occurred because of your mistake. Therefore, to get past an accident, all you must do is say that you are sorry to both Blake and Ren, and your problem is solved!"

"You are very… _Blunt_ in your 'advice,' Pyrrha."

"The simpler the words, the less chance of a mistake. But besides that, did it help?"

"I guess so. I'll have to apologize to Blake and Ren before I know for sure, though." Jaune admitted, rather awkwardly.

"…"

"…"

"Why did you do that, anyway?" Jaune sudden asked through their awkward silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Why were you trying to think of the solution to my problem? I mean, I didn't ask you to. There was no obligation."

"Oh, yes. Umm…" Extraordinarily, Pyrrha blushed. "Do you remember when we talked about why we became hunters?"

"Yeah."

"I may have lied about why I became one." Jaune chuckled at this.

"I figured as much. You don't seem much like one who seeks fame and fortune."

"I'd rather not talk about the _actual_ reason now, but needless to say, it's not one that I'm especially enthused by. When I heard what you said, however… Something just clicked for me. I realized that I've always been able to recognize the hidden meaning in people's words, and with that, I figured, why not try to do something useful?"

"So what you're saying is…" Jaune finalizes for her.

"What I'm saying is," She agreed. "I've sorta been using _your_ reasons to be in Beacon as my own… It sounds kinda bad when I say it out loud like that." The leader of Team PBNY acted abashed, but Jaune dissuaded this feeling.

"Pyrrha." Jaune got her to look directly at him. " _My_ reason was to _help_ people. No one will blame you for wanting to do that as well- And I certainly won't either. In fact, I'm happy to hear that you've decided to follow this path. Mental health is very important." Pyrrha smiled at this.

"Thank you, Jaune. I apologize if I was awkward while giving you advice. It was only my second time, after all."

"Oh it's no problem. I just assumed it was because we hadn't talked in awhile." At this, Pyrrha rubbed the back of her head.

"The reason for that was actually the _first_ time I was giving advice. I was… Trying to get Ruby to apologize." The leader of Team JWLR's eyes went wide.

"You should probably be careful with stuff like that. Giving advice is good and all, but that issue was sort of between us." And boy, did he know just how volatile Ruby could be. He didn't imagine she would be fond of his 'helper' in Pyrrha.

"So did you not want my advice now?"

"No! I didn't- Umm… Thank you for trying to help Pyrrha." Jaune back peddled, not quite sure how to phrase his warning. She was trying to help, and he couldn't fault her for that.

"Anytime, Jaune." The champion smiled.

"..."

"..."

"...So, since we talking to each other once more, would you like to continue our morning sessions?" Jaune tested, unsure of her response. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Of course! I'd love to! In fact, let's start right now!"

"Wait wha- Gak-!" He shouted as his body hit the floor.

* * *

Pushups, sit-ups, and a whole lot of juice. That, among many other tests of endurance, was what Cardin's training had in store for Jaune Arc. The large hunter had made it his goal to have Jaune a sweaty mess- not like that- by the end of the day, and for anyone else, his training would have done just that. Unfortunately for Cardin, Gamer's Body did not allow him to win that fight- Not that Cardin knew anything about it.

"Huff… Huff… How are you still going?" The leader of Team CRDL panted at Jaune. After their five lap run around the entire school, even the peak of fitness Winchester was winded. Jaune was not.

"I got stamina and endurance for days." Jaune replied honestly. At first, he felt a little bad about his unnatural endurance, as it sort of felt like a cheat. However, just one look at anybody in Beacon's level, and he was absolutely okay with cheating.

"Tell that to the ladies." Cardin smirked. Then he paused. "...Or men. I really don't care."

"Yeah." Jaune joked. "Anyway, now that we've proven that you aren't going to be tiring me out anytime soon, can you finally tell me what your training is supposed to be doing to me."

"I was improving your endurance." Cardin explained, practically recovered from the run already. "While you can't harden skin- unless you have a semblance- you can improve endurance. That way, you can learn to take a punch and keep on going." Cardin looked Jaune up and down. "As it stands, though, endurance is not your problem. Looks like we'll have to make you take a punch the hard way."

Considering that Jaune's endurance stat had actually increased by an insane margin since the start of their session, the team leader suddenly regretted showing off his power.

"Umm… I don't think that's necessary. I'm actually pretty tired and-"

"Do you know the basic sword stance?" Cardin interrupted.

"Yes…"

"Get into it, and continue to go through the basic forms until I say otherwise." Not one to argue with the big man, Jaune did as he was told.

"You know, I've already done this with Pyrrha. Me and her mostly focus on my swordplay." Cardin snorted, but didn't respond, continuing to watch as Jaune went through his forms. "So… Are we gonna- Uhg!" In a fairly telegraphed but quick move, Cardin lashed out at Jaune, knocking him to the ground.

"Ow…" The leader of Team JWLR grounded.

"You're fine. I punch you worse all the time in class." Cardin lent him a hand up.

"I mean, yeah. But why did you do that?"

"Those forms mean nothing if you can't apply them. That is the essence of battle, application."

"Alright… I think I get what you're saying."

"Good, now reset." They did so, and Jaune went back to practicing his forms as Cardin watched. "Actually _do_ the moves." The larger hunter insisted since Jaune was starting to keep an eye on him rather than the move.

"Well, I- Whoa!"

This time, Jaune was able to somewhat block the sudden strike. The blow still landed, yet he was not knocked to the floor. The leader of Team CRDL shook his head.

"Jaune, you need to use the form to block the strike. Sure, there's an order to how you do things, but you have to realize that no matter what position or order you are in, you've practice the block for it. It's _built in_ to the forms. That's what _makes_ them forms."

"Gotcha." He took the advice offered, moving back to position as Cardin followed suit.

The forms were executed with precision. Jaune, taking Cardin's advice to heart, moved into each position, every time expecting a strike. This time, though, Cardin made him sweat, and it wasn't until a few minutes in that the blow finally arrived. And this time, Jaune was prepared. In a sudden movement, Cardin's strike was deflected away, and Jaune stood victorious.

"Great job." Jaune's long time sparring partner praised. "We'll now be doing this exclusively until you master it."

"Ugh… Can't we- Ow!"

"Use your forms!"

* * *

Back again on the rooftops, Jaune and Cardin witnessed the beautiful Beacon sunset. No matter how many times he saw it, the charm never faded. Of course, he hadn't been seeing the saw sunset for years and years over like the teachers, but Jaune was fairly certain they thought the same way as him.

Tonight, in a surprising turn of events, it was Cardin who asked Jaune to talk, just after the history test they took that day. As such, the leader of Team JWLR allowed Cardin to start the conversation.

"Jaune?" The larger hunter-in-training asked.

"Yeah?" Jaune replied.

"We're… Friends. Right?"

"I'd say so." Jaune answered honestly. "At least, I assumed so."

"Good, good." Cardin nodded, still staring at the fading light at the horizon.

"What's on your mind?" The Arc probed.

"Are you willing to give me advice?"

"Of course. I'm not sure how useful it would be to you, though. But if we needed advice, I would try my best." Cardin turned back around to look at him.

"To be honest, Jaune… You're my only friend." Said friend raised his eyebrows.

"Really? I- I mean, what about your team?"

"That's the problem," Cardin admitted. "Just a few days ago, I got to a big fight with the rest of them- Just some stupid disagreement- And now they hate my guts."

"I-" Jaune was about to say that he _completely_ understood what Cardin was going through, but he stopped himself. Was he really going to bring up _his_ problems after Cardin went specifically to _him_ for help? No, Jaune couldn't do that. Especially when he hadn't even noticed Cardin's burden until the big guy mentioned it outright! No more. Now, Jaune was going to _give_ the advice, _return_ the favor.

"Well… When I had a problem with my teammate," Jaune restarted. "We solved it by fighting. Maybe you could try that."

"I _am_ fighting with my team. _That's_ the problem."

"No, I mean _actual_ fighting. We're a bunch of hormonal teenagers, you know? A good spar always helps to work out that aggression and anger. When my teammate and I fought, it seemed like the lowest of the lows. But that's the thing. Once you hit the bottom, it can only go up from there."

"Or they could just start hating me even more." Cardin reasoned.

"Or that." Jaune reluctantly admitted.

"Well, anyway. Thank you, Jaune. I might try out what you said."

"No problem. I hope it helps." Jaune shrugged. The leader couldn't give better advice without more context, but Cardin has made the choice to leave the context out, and Jaune had to respect that choice. "If you're looking to take it off your mind, though, I heard from a wise someone that a project always helps."

"Oh yeah, what did you have in mind?" The leader of Team CRDL asked with a smirk.

"You could train me. Since you always win our spars, it must get boring for you. Help me get better, and it's a win-win for you."

"Pfft! Real subtle, Jaune." Cardin laughed.

"Is that a no?"

"I didn't say that."

"Great, when do we start?"

"Right now. Drop and give me thirty."

"…Every time…"

* * *

After careful consideration, Jaune was ready. He had listened to his advisors, and now was the time to apply their knowledge.

"Blake, Can we talk?"

"..."

"Please, Blake. Just for a few minutes. I'll say what I need to say, and then you can go back to ignoring me."

"…"

"I-"

"I don't care what went wrong, Jaune. I don't care whether it was an accident or on purpose. The bottom line is, things went wrong, and you were responsible for it." The Faunus supporter stated aggressively.

"Yes, and I'm-"

"And _don't_ say you're sorry." She continued. "If there's one thing I've learned during my short time on this world, it's that words are meaningless. I've heard a thousand apologies, but all of them ended the same way. People promise not to do things, and then they do them anyway. Do you want to make things up to me?"

"Absolutely."

"Then _do_ it. Don't just tell me that you'll change or that you're sorry. Because that means _nothing_ to me. What matters is action." Jaune nodded to her speech.

"So way can I do?"

"Can you have Ren and Nora start to talk to me again?"

"I don't think so…"

"Then not much." Blake reasoned. She started to turn away, but Jaune had one more thing to say.

"I may not be able to do that, but I _will_ make it up to you, Blake. That's an _Arc_ promise." For a moment, the ninja girl stopped walking away, as if acknowledging his claim.

"We'll see." She stated simply, strutting off to wherever she had to be.

It wasn't much, but it was hope.

* * *

"Ren?"

"No."

"Yeah, that's fair…" Jaune sighed as his partner walked off. You win some you lose some, right? At least he tried.

With all that said and done, though, there was just one more wrong Jaune needed to right. And in fact, the team leader had actually forgotten all about it during his time here at Beacon. Now that he had so many of his friends helping him along his combat path, though, it would be unfair to not tell them the truth.

He, Jaune Arc, had forged his transcripts to Beacon.

* * *

 **Three months in the making, it's back, baby!**

 **First off, very special thanks to my Betas Macheddy and CasuallyPosting. Without them, I'd probably still be on my first draft right now.**

 **Also, for those of you who didn't get it, the training scenes happened later in time than the talking scenes, I just put them first.**

 **Anyway, talk about development hell. This chapter went through three rewrites before I was satisfied with it. On the upside, I did get a crap ton of reviews in that time, so I kinda knew what I had to do for this chapter.**

 **Which brings us to our most pressing questions, the reviews. Two full pages worth, actually.**

 **First off, a lot of people simply stated that the fic was bullshit, and they wouldn't be reading anymore. I'm sorry to see you all leave, but such is life.**

 **Another big theme throughout the reviews was that I am a Jaune-Basher or that I hate Jaune. Once more, I'll say that I am _not_ a Jaune basher. Jaune is my favorite character. But as Nora said, life's a bitch. And sometimes, shit happens. This time, though, it happened to Jaune. **

**And I will admit, I could have done a better job at foreshadowing what was going to happen in Chapter 11. The loss of Ren's friendship was always the outcome, and I thought that people would be expecting that. In the first draft, chapter 11 was just going to be tacked on to the back of ten, with Ren seeing Blake instead of Nora, and then getting mad. But after what actually happened in 10, I decided to make things more interesting and continue on with the whole 'glitched game' aspect. And that _is_ a big aspect of the Game and of the mystery as a whole, but I understand why people felt that things came out of nowhere and were upset. For my part, I'll try and do better in the future. A mystery is only as good as the clues it lays out, after all.**

 **As for any outcries that the characters acted out of character or were way to harsh in their reactions, I disagree. The characters being out of character _is_ in character. At least, it is for New Game Plus. For example, it was always known by the audience that Ren was kinda crazy and violent, simply based on all of his interactions with Jaune. Now, we get to simply see that side of him come to light even more. Why is he all crazy and violent? Well, that's part of the mystery.**

 **Also, the result at the end of 11 had nothing to do with "One True Pairings" vs "Fandom Shippers". I don't know where that one came from.**

 **And finally, "New Game Plus" means a lot of different things depending on the game you are playing. This New Game Plus was of my own design, but was also somewhat based on the Dark Souls games, where as you go on to more NGP's the game gets harder.**

 **Thank you all for you reviews and support, and until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	13. A Slight Change in Plans

There was a reason people called Pyrrha the champ. Every move she made- whether in battle or daily life- wasted the minimum amount of energy possible. Every step flowed into the next with the expertise that only experience brought. Yet, here she was, helping _him_ train.

Really, it was unfair to have the best fighter in the school- possibly above Yang- training him. They weren't even on the same team! But when he asked for her help, she provided it without reserve.

And she was a saint, as well. One of the few people that never tried to kill him. Truthfully, that trait should be a given, but here in Beacon, it was welcomed all the more.

All this she did, she was, not knowing who _he_ actually was. Yes, she knew intimately just how poor his fighting skills were, and certainly, from their chats, she knew more about him than most. But she didn't know the truth.

Jaune Arc had forged his transcripts.

"Pyrrha…?" The criminal asked hesitantly during a pause in their training. He had only just worked up the nerve to tell her.

"Yes, Jaune?" Pyrrha smiled back at him. Nearly all of his nerve was lost with that grin. But no, she needed to know the truth.

"I… I have something to tell you." The champ's face gained a weird look.

"Is this a confession? I like you, Jaune, but I don't think we know each other well enough for that." She stated bluntly.

"What? No!" Jaune yelled in surprise. "I mean, it's a confession, but not that kind!"

"I know." Her playful grin returned. "I'm just messing with you." They shared a laugh before Jaune got serious.

"Pyrrha, you have been helping me train since the first day of school. If it wasn't for you, I would've been killed by a beowulf ten times over by now. And for that, I thank you. But because of our friendship, I can't keep going on abusing your help- Not without telling you what you're actually getting into." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"And what is that?" She asked with a not quite serious tone.

"You're training me from scratch. Before your guidance I didn't know anything more about fighting than any pedestrian."

"Well that's-"

"And that's because I…" Jaune cut her off. "I forged my transcripts to Beacon." Suddenly, the immense weight of guilt was off him, and for a moment, he felt at peace. This peace was quickly squandered, however, by the growing feeling of dread he now felt.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I-"

"I figured as much." The champion suddenly said, catching Jaune by surprise.

"Y- you did?"

"How else would someone with as little training as you get in? In case you didn't notice, nearly everyone in this school is capable of leveling a building. All except _you_."

"So…" The leader of Team JWLR started, trying to wrap his head around what she was saying. "Are you mad at me?" Pyrrha actually scoffed at this.

"Why would I be?"

"… For lying to get into the school, maybe?" He offered. She shook her head.

"Jaune, do you know why this school is so empty?"

"No…"

"It's because people don't _want_ to be hunters. Most people want to live their lives, make a family or name for themselves, and die at a ripe old age. Hunters don't get that life."

"I don't see what your getting at…" He admitted.

"The average lifespan of a Hunter is _twenty-six years_. That's only five years out of Beacon. If you make it past that, your lifespan bumps up to forty seven, but in an age where it's possible to live to one hundred, you still haven't even lived half your life." Pyrrha took a pause, but before Jaune could speak, she started again. "What I'm trying to say is that, the fact that you came to Beacon without any training, that you forged your transcripts, tells me that you're even more deserving of being here than anyone else."

"I-" Jaune tried to speak, but Pyrrha wouldn't let him.

"Most kids in this school, they don't know what being a hunter means. They came to Beacon because 'aura is cool' and 'I'm super strong.' I hate to say it, but those are the kids who die five years out of Beacon. Not you, Jaune." She looked him in the eyes, and he was encapsulated by her words. "You came here because you wanted to help people, and you're willing to bust your ass and put your life in constant danger to do so." The champ took a moment to pause. "I admit, if it were anyone else, I'd probably be annoyed at them for using me like this. But not you, Jaune. You're better."

"How do you know?" Jaune questioned as soon as he recovered from his shock. Pyrrha shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me. _Are_ you here for a righteous cause, _are_ you willing to put in the work it takes to become a great Huntsman?" This was a challenge, plain to see. Jaune's gaze hardened.

"I am and I will. I swear it on my honor." He promised in total seriousness.

"Well, that's good to hear." Pyrrha smiled, the topic of the conversation not once phasing her. A curious expression then appeared on her face. "Would I, by any chance, be the first person you told this to?"

"Yeah. But I'm also going to tell Cardin and Weiss."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What? Why?"

"I just… Maybe you should hold off on telling Cardin Winchester of all people." Pyrrha suggested.

"Why do you say that?" Jaune rebutted, completely puzzled. "Cardin's a great guy, he wouldn't tell my secret to anyone."

"If you're sure, I won't stop you." The champion backed off. "But, I suggest that you tell Weiss _first_."

"If you say so." Jaune said. "And thank you, Pyrrha. You really know how to pick up a guy's mood."

"Any time, Jaune."

* * *

Weiss was actually the one he was most worried to tell, afraid that she might relapse back into her 'holier-than-thou' stage. They had just gotten past it, too. But… Pyrrha wanted him to tell her before Cardin, and who was he to deny her?

There was much more of a nerve to work up for this one. With Pyrrha, Jaune thought she might've been mad because of her champion status. With Weiss, he _knew_ she would be mad because of her heiress status. After all, that's what their whole fight was essentially about. Well, that and her wanting to lead.

Actually… Now that he thought about it… All of her comments about how he wasn't fit to lead the team, she was right! He _hadn't_ been ready to lead the team!

"Well isn't that ironic…" Jaune commented, sitting next to Weiss in the library.

"What is?" The heiress instantly questioned. He froze for a moment, but then decided to screw it. Now was as good a time as ever.

"That we were fighting because you didn't think I belonged as the leader of the team, when I didn't even belong in Beacon to begin with."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" The team leader took a breath. "I forged my transcripts to Beacon."

A brief moment of total silence fell over the library before Weiss suddenly chuckled.

"Heh. That _is_ fairly ironic." She agreed with him as she focused back on her work.

"…" Really?! Okay, Pyrrha, he understood. That girl had a heart of gold, there was no way she'd not accept his secret. But Weiss?! Weiss?!

"How?!" Jaune suddenly blurted out.

"How, What?" The heiress looked up from her book.

"How are you not mad?!" Jaune yelled incredulously. Well, not 'yelled.' He just spoke as loud as he could without disturbing anyone else.

"Because," She stated as if that answered anything. " _I_ nearly forged my transcripts as well."

"Wha- What?!" The leader of team JWLR couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You did?!"

"That's right." Weiss confirmed. "When I first applied, my father didn't want to to come here, and so refused to sign off on my paperwork and transcripts. I was considering faking his signature when my mother caved and signed off instead."

"If your father doesn't want you to go, can't he just pull you out of the school?"

"He could, but I know he won't. That would disgrace the Schnee reputation, and he couldn't have that on his record, no matter the state of his daughter."

"That's… Extremely comforting, Weiss. But I have to tell you that it was more than my parents' signature that got forged." Even though he wanted to leave the conversation at that, he owed it to her that the truth was told. The whole truth.

"I figured." The heiress nodded. "But I was willing to forge one of the most recognizable and influential signatures in the world to get here, so I understand the desperation to get to Beacon. You must do what is necessary"

"Well, thank you, Weiss. You don't know how much hearing you say that meant to me." Jaune confessed.

"I can guess." Weiss suggested cheekily. Jaune chuckled.

"I suppose you could."

A comfortable silence fell over the pair, and Weiss turned back to her reading with a smile.

"Is that the reason why you wanted to be the team leader so badly, because you wanted to prove yourself to your dad?" Jaune instantly spoke the first thing that came to mind. The White haired girl flinched.

 **Detected: Weiss Schnee is feeling-**

 **Self Conscious**

 **[OK]**

"I'd rather not talk about it." She insisted. Jaune didn't exactly know where that pop up came from, but no shit, Game.

"Oh. Sorry." The meeting ended on a slightly sour note, but Jaune wasn't too worried. It couldn't always go well. And really, it went way better than he expected.

Today was looking up.

* * *

"You what?" The Winchester's face gained a cold look, a complete one eighty from his supportiveness just a few seconds ago. They had just taken a break from their training, the one time of the day that they saw each other without everyone else being around.

"I- I forged my transcripts." Jaune hesitated, his worry suddenly increasing. "I didn't think you would care, but I thought it was right to tell you. Since you were training me and all that."

"Telling me this… You do realize that you've given me blackmail right?" Cardin asked.

"It could be seen that way, yes…" The leader of Team JWLR confirmed. "Or… It could be seen as a good friend sharing his secret with another good friend."

"I'm not one to use blackmail." Jaune let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, that prank-"

"But bullies need henchmen, don't they?"

"Eh… What?"

"Yes. I've decided." Cardin continued to completely him. "I shall be the bully and you shall be the henchman, and soon I will become the king of the school." He dropped the towel he was using to wipe off his sweat and look off into the distance foundly.

"Cardin, I don't think that's how it w-"

"And from now on, you will refer to me as 'Sir.'" The larger hunter ordered.

"Why would I-"

"You'll do so, or I'll reveal your transcript secret to whole school." He threatened.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Jaune snapped into gear.

"Perfect. Let's go." And with that, Cardin marched away.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Jaune asked himself.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Under the Thumb of King Cardin**

 **Objective One: Find a way out from Cardin Winchester's grasp**

 **Time: One Week**

 **Reward: +10 Bond with Cardin Winchester, +5 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +5 Bond with Ruby Rose, +2 Bond with Nora Valkyrie, +8 INT, +8 WIS, +8 STR**

 **Failure: -15 Bond with Cardin Winchester, -5 Bond to all Bonds, Eternal Enslavement  
** **Failure to accept Quest: Eternal Enslavement**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

"Well shit." Jaune stated, accepting the quest. "High risk, high reward, I suppose."

"Let's go, henchman!" 'King' Cardin called out to him.

"Coming, sir!" Jaune snapped out of his musings, rushing to Cardin's side.

Together, they walked down the hallways of Beacon with no clear purpose. The entire time, Cardin had his chest out and walked like, well… Royalty. Team JWLR's leader wasn't quite sure what to do, but he needed to do something.

"Umm… Cardin?" Jaune prodded reluctantly.

" _Sir_." The 'bully' reminded.

"Sir, yeah. Umm… I have a question."

"What?"

"Do you _know_ what a bully is? Umm… Sir." Cardin laughed.

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

"Right, right…" The hall fell into silence, but Jaune couldn't leave it at that. "It's just that… People don't usually _want_ to be the bully, you know, sir?" Once more, Cardin laughed.

"What? That's ridiculous! Who _wouldn't_ want to be the bully? Haven't you watched any movies? The bully is always the one who has the girl, the adoration of the school, sometimes the teachers in his pocket- They are the epitome of power!"

"But in all of those movies, the bully is the bad guy." Jaune rightly pointed out.

"First off, 'bad' a is subjective term. Second off- They're only 'bad' because they're in the hero's way. And do you know what happens next?"

"The bully is defeated…?"

"Exactly." Cardin's eye lit up. "The bully is defeated and the _hero_ replaces them! _They_ get the girl, _they_ have the adoration of the school, _they_ have the teachers in their pocket- It's awesome!"

Huff… There was a time when he thought Cardin was one of the only other sane people in Beacon. How silly he was to think that they weren't _all_ crazy.

Jaune opened his mouth, but no words came out. Clearly, Cardin was wrong about this, but Jaune just couldn't think of what to say against such outrageous claim. What could he say? Cardin was _right_. At least, to some extent. And it wasn't like Jaune could change his entire outlook on things…

Okay, so he _wouldn't_ change Cardin's entire outlook on things. Not forcefully, anyways. Not after Ren…

But there wasn't much else Jaune could think to do, so he'd have to play things by ear.

Finally arriving at the cafeteria, King Cardin made his grand entrance by kicking open the doors.

"Your king has arrived!" As it was only one o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday, only a few people were even in the Cafeteria. And out of those few people, only a fraction looked over to see what the commotion was all about. And out of that fraction, most went back to their food mere seconds later. Cardin didn't seem fazed.

The bully walked over to an empty table and sat down. Jaune came up behind him, but was unable to sit down before he was given orders.

"Go fetch me food, henchman."

"Yeah sure, what would you-"

"Now!"

"Okay then!" The former trainee scurried over to the near empty lunch line like his life depended on it. Probably because it did. There, he encountered a problem. "Okay, but what does he actually want to eat?" Jaune asked himself, scanning the variety of mid day snacks offered to Beacon's students. "We just finished training, so he probably wants a sandwich or something- But would he really want a full meal before dinner time? What-"

"So what's his problem?" A familiar sounding voice scared Jaune out of his thoughts.

"Ah! Coco! You snuck up on me. It's been a while."

"He's always been a dick, but never this boisterous before." The fashionista with indoor sunglasses commented, ignoring Jaune formalities.

"I don't know what happened." He just decided to roll with it. "One minute, we were pals. Then the next, he's acting crazy."

"So he finally decided to show you his true colors. Vel and I were having a bet for when that would happen. You just won me twenty lien."

"True colors?" He inquired, but the older girl ignored him.

"Do you want me to deal with him?" Coco offered, cracking her knuckles. Jaune's eyes widened.

"Nonono! Thank you, but I have to deal with this on my own. I know he's a good person, I just need to figure out what's happened to him. I don't think violence will fix that." The leader of Team CFVY scoffed.

"How naive. If you don't smack sense into them, they'll never learn. You can't simply 'teach' the enemy."

"But isn't that what Velvet wants to do?"

"Hrk!" Coco lost her cool for a moment after realizing her mistake but quickly regained her demeanor. "Heh… You got me there, kid. You and Velvet are pretty similar when it comes to dealing with problems, I suppose."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Coco Adel  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"I'll let you handle things then, see you around, Jaune." Coco walked away.

"Bye, tell Velvet I said 'hi!'" Jaune waved after her, though she didn't respond.

"Jaune! My food!" Cardin yelled across the cafeteria, making Jaune remember why he was on the lunch line to begin with.

"Oh, right!" With that, he grabbed some random food and hurried back to his impatient overlord.

"Finally." The Winchester said, biting into the ham sandwich Jaune brought him. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry, sir." As Cardin chowed down on his sandwich, Jaune tried to think of what to say. "Cardin, are you okay?" Perhaps the simplest approach would work the best.

"I told you to call me 'sir.' And of course, I'm perfectly alright! Top of the world actually."

"I only ask because this seems like quite a steep change from how you were acting just… Well, five minutes ago." Cardin nodded along to this.

"You're right, I haven't done much to show I'm the bully of the school."

"Yeah, and as your friend- Wait What?" Jaune continued on, not realizing Cardin completely ignored him.

"Hey you!" The king shouted across the cafeteria once more, this time directing his attention at a fourth year student with dog-like ears. "Screw Faunus and screw you!"

The student didn't even turn around from his meal. He simply raised a hand with a very particular finger on it and kept eating.

"How dare he!" Cardin yelled in outrage at this justified response. "Henchman, teach him a lesson." Jaune just gave him a confused look.

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"Now?"

"Just go!"

Awkwardly, Jaune got out of his seat and shuffled over to the older Faunus student. He didn't even bother observing the kid, already knowing himself to be weaker by comparison.

"Umm… So, hi. I'm Jaune Arc." The Faunus didn't respond. "Anyway, I'm sorry for his behavior. He doesn't usually act like this." Still no response. "Now, he actually send me over here to 'teach you a lesson,' so…" Nothing. "I was wondering if I could just throw a fact punch and then you'll run away. Then, no one gets hurt and everybody's happy." Finally dark brown eyes looked up from his food.

"No." The Faunus stated simply, instantly going back to his meal. Jaune nodded, biting his lip nervously.

"Yeah, I thought as much. But… I'm not really sure just talking to you is going to be enough to get him off my back so-" The sudden movement of the Faunus standing up interrupted Jaune's words. "Now hold on, we don't have to get hasty he-!"

A moment later, Jaune had made an imprint into a wall about twenty feet away from his last position. Not affected by the pain of the insane attack- though his health certainly was- Jaune had a clear view as the fourth year student picked up his food and threw it out mere seconds later. As it turned out, the Faunus hadn't planned on staying much longer anyhow.

"Rude…" Jaune thought to himself with a small frown. "Now how am I going to get out of this wall?"

Days later, nothing had changed. Cardin continued to act like a dick, ordering Jaune around, and no one else seemed to care. And no matter how many times Jaune tried to open up a conversation with his former friend, the hunter in question always found a way out of it.

This lack of progress also came with a slight lack of hope. It was already Thursday and nothing of any note had been accomplished. Every now and then, Jaune mulled over the idea to just use force, but he could never bring himself to it. Cardin wasn't just some bully, he was a friend. Of course, there was always the possibility that he was a fake friend who was waiting for an opportunity to use Jaune like he was right now, but what kind of a fake friend took hours out of their weekend to help their friend train? That just didn't make sense. Cardin was a friend, there was just something wrong with him.

And the King was not at all inclined to share his feelings.

"Cardin, sir, I-" Jaune tried to initiate conversation in Professor Port's class.

"Shhh! I'm listening!" Cardin whisper-yelled before turning back to the bombastic teacher's lecture. That actually would have been a legitimate excuse had Cardin _never_ paid attention in Port's class before.

"-Strength takes courage, and leadership takes strength. This is why leadership-" Jaune caught a snippet of what his teacher said. Another lecture about leadership, something that they had been taught ten times over already.

Now this was just ridiculous! Cardin would choose to endure one of Port's painful speeches if it meant not talking to his own friend? Now Jaune was annoyed. That couldn't stand! Cardin would listen to him whether he liked it or not!

"Cardin-"

"Professor Port, I am the greatest leader out of this entire class!" The bully shouted over Jaune's ultimatum.

"Are you now, my boy?" The mustached man asked.

"Indeed. And I demand a challenge to prove my strength- And for extra credit." Most kids looked at Cardin like he was insane, but the teacher shrugged.

"Sure! I didn't have anything in the lesson plan for today anyway. How does a fight against a Beowulf sound?" Port asked, entertaining the idea.

"Make it two, and it shall be fought by my henchman, _Jaune Arc_." Jaune's own eyes went wide as the entire class now stared at him.

"Can he even do that?!" The leader of Team JWLR asked incredulously.

"That depends," Port said, making Jaune sigh. "Are you _actually_ his henchman?"

"Well, technically yes, but-"

"Then technically yes, he is allowed." The teacher commanded, his word being final.

"…Do I at least get extra credit as well?" The blonde asked hopefully.

"Henchmen do not get extra credit in this class, no." Jaune frowned. Damnit Cardin… "Now come along to the arena, class. We shall get ourselves situated while Mr. Arc prepares for his fight."

* * *

Fighting a Beowulf wasn't much to Jaune anymore. He could proudly say he outclassed them a fair bit ago. However, _two_ Beowulves? That was decently more challenging, as their team tactics increased the difficulty exponentially so.

Jaune's first major question was 'How does Professor Port have all these Grimm on hand?' but his second, more pressing, question was 'How am I gonna survive this one?'.

Luckily, the Grimm came out on one side, so he didn't start out surrounded. This allowed Jaune to observe both his enemies without turning his back on either.

 **Name: Jacob  
** **LV: 7 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Senator  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 700/700**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Patrick  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Beowolf  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 600/600**

 **[OK]**

Not too bad, these guys didn't seem like much of a threat. Now he just needed a plan and everything would be alright.

In the stands, no one cheered for him. Cardin showed no emotion towards the man he just sent into battle, while Pyrrha sat awkwardly next to Ruby, who was showing about as much emotion as Cardin. The only one who gave even a little bit of support was Weiss, giving him a subtle thumbs up when the team leader looked over.

"Alright…" Jaune took a deep breath. "This is easypeasy. I got this."

As if they were planning something together, the two Beowolves split off in separate directions, determined to circle around Jaune. Not seeing any good time to strike, Jaune let this happen as he continued to search for an opening. The whole time, he kept his shield facing down one Grimm and his sword trained on the other.

Once the pair got to be on either side of Jaune, they suddenly both started moving counterclockwise in a synchronized motion. Jaune moved with them, but was slightly thrown off by the act. He kept switching back and forth between one Beowulf and the other- And that was their plan.

As Jaune turned to face Patrick, Jacob would move a bit closer, and when he turned to see Jacob, Patrick would move a step closer. Barely noticable, Jaune couldn't react to the tactic until he was within attack range of the beasts.

Turning to keep an eye on Patrick one last time, Jacob the Grimm sprung from his attack position in such a way that there was no escape. And if Jaune was tackled underneath these Grimm, it was most certainly game over for him.

 **Auto Dodge Activated**

 **[OK]**

In that particular instant, however, the game was on his side. With a nimbleness he was sure he didn't possess, Jaune landed a standing back-flip just behind his attacker. For any normal person, this might have been disorienting, but Jaune had long since gotten used to the Game's suddenness.

Without breaking a sweat, Jaune lodged the blade of Crocea Mors into the Beowulf's hind, just between the leg and the main body. Jacob couldn't even let out a whimper before Jaune cleaved downwards, taking the Grimm's leg clean off. Not long after, the other leg followed suit. The playing field was equal once more.

The remaining Beowulf charged and lept, hoping to capture Jaune off guard as he mutilated the first. The hunter saw this coming, and he dodged to the side while sticking his sword out in the air. Just as expected, the blade sailed effortlessly through the monster's chest, as Patrick, too, was defeated.

Through intense daily training, Jaune finally made it to the point where Grimm were simply cannon fodder to him, a point he had always strived to achieve. What he couldn't accomplish in seventeen years of life on his own, took him only months with help. And what help it was, Mistral's champion, the Schnee Heiress, Cardin Winchester, Ruby Rose! Really, Jaune owed his success to them, and he was more than willing to be in their debt for that.

Unfortunately, humans weren't cannon fodder like the Grimm were, and unfortunately, humans seemed to be Jaune's main concern. The leader of Team JWLR had improved, yes, but not enough. He still had a long way to go if he wished to rival any other hunter in the school when it came to a fair one on one fight.

That would come with time. Time and training. Of course, it'd come a lot faster if one of Jaune's teachers wasn't blackmailing him into servitude right now!

"Bravo, Cardin! Excellent work!" Professor Port congratulated the King, not giving Jaune a hint of recognition.

"Thank you, Professor." Cardin response in kind.

"Huff… What's gotten into you, Cardin?" Jaune asked himself, running a hand through his hair.

He received no answer.

* * *

Night had already since fell upon Beacon when Cardin finally released Jaune from his servitude to go back to his room for bed. To be precise, it was eleven twenty six, much later than Jaune usually went to sleep. Of course, this week, that seemed to be the norm. He'd just finished gently closing the door when he was suddenly surprised.

"Finally! I thought I'd have to be here all night!" A familiar heiress complained. Jaune whipped around from the door to indeed see Weiss, drinking some coffee.

"Weiss? I thought you were usually asleep by now." Ever since the date fiasco, only they occupied their dorm. Ruby chose to sleep in Team PBNY's room, and Ren slept… Somewhere. Despite this, they didn't actually see each other that often because Weiss had a strict weekday bedtime of nine o'clock, and Jaune never went to bed until around ten- To which the Game would promptly wake him up at six o'clock.

"Well, it's not like it matters tonight- But I figured you wouldn't know. That's what I stayed up for." Jaune raised an eyebrow in confusion, but shook it off.

"Okay, that's fine, but I have an important question to ask first- Now that we have the time to."

"What is it?" The Schnee indulged him.

"Did you… _Know_ Cardin was…" Jaune struggled for the words.

"Racist?" Weiss supplied.

"I was gonna say 'a bully,' but that works too."

"Yes, I knew."

"But how? I haven't seen him act like this at all before this week." Weiss shook her head.

"Only you would be so innocent, Jaune." She commented somewhat wistfully. "If you were one to listen to gossip- like most normal kids our age- you would have surely heard about Cardin talking down to Faunus."

"Really?"

"Surely you noticed how Blake reacted to him nearly every time he fought- Or how any Faunus rights sympathizer reacted. They always cheered against him or refused to show any support at all."

"I just thought Blake was cheering for me…" Jaune said. Though, now that he was remembering the fights beyond just his nerves, what Weiss said had some backing. Ever since the first week of classes, Cardin was being booed at- Specifically by Faunus. Jaune never put two and two together.

"Maybe she was, I couldn't say." The heiress commented. "That's also the reason he had a falling out with his team. One of his teammates was going to visit a Faunus cousin in the city. Cardin heard about it and started giving him shit. The teammate got fed up, and the others sided with him against their leader." Jaune leaned his head in one of his hands, trying to comprehend that which was just told to him.

"But he was so nice to me, so helpful… That can't be right. It _can't_ be. Something's wrong with him, he needs a friend to help him through it. _I'll_ be that friend. _I'll_ help him through it. I owe that much to him, no matter what he's done to others."

"Do you really think it's worth it?" Weiss asked skeptically. "Why don't you just gather up some people to teach him lesson. I'd help out. I'm sure he'll stop blackmailing you then."

" _You_ were worth it." Jaune retorted without skipping a beat. "And we weren't even friends beforehand."

 **+1 Charisma for that** _ **Damn**_ **Smooth Line**

 **[OK]**

"I- I guess so." Weiss blushed. "Do you make a habit to crusade for friends like this?" The leader of Team JWLR shrugged nonchalantly.

"What was it you wanted to tell me, again?" He suddenly remembered.

"Oh, yes. I just wanted to remind you that we need to wake up early to go on our trip to Forever Falls tomorrow."

"Forever Falls?" Jaune questioned, completely oblivious to the going ons around him as always. "When did they tell us this?"

"Over a week ago, but you were a little too distracted with your date to notice."

"Well, thank you for staying up late to tell me."

"No problem, Jaune." Weiss sipped the last of her coffee.

Forever Falls… A whole new place to explore… Right at _this_ crucial moment…

That _wasn't_ a coincidence.

No, Jaune wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what 'Forever Falls' meant to him. That's where he would end this charade with Cardin, _there_ he finish this quest.

He could _feel_ it.

"… Umm… Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"How early is 'early?'" The transcript forged inquired.

"We have to be on the Bullhead at six thirty, but it's an hour and a half which we can sleep through."

"Yeah… So… You're gonna have to carry me to the Bullhead."

"Hilarious, Jaune, but I don't care how much you like your sleep. I'm _not_ carrying you."

"Well, you won't be able to wake me, so I guess I'll be missing the trip." Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I think I'll find away to wake you." She said with some sass, getting slightly annoyed. Jaune shook his head.

"And I think you won't." He sighed. "Look, I lived in a house with seven sisters, seven _crazy_ sisters. So in order to get a full eight hours of sleep while they were constantly having sleepovers with their besties, I developed a technique to ensure I get eight hours of sleep every night, no matter what." The games method of sleep was both a blessing and a curse.

"And if I believe that?" Weiss challenged. "Why not just turn it off?"

"That's the thing, I _can't_." At least… He didn't think he could. The game didn't really give him clear ways to turn options on and off.

"Right… I'm going to bed now." The heiress concludes, clearly not believing what she was hearing.

"Good night." Jaune replied simply. If she didn't get him to the Bullhead and he missed his chance to end things with Cardin, that would be a shame- But he couldn't force her to do it.

What he _wouldn't_ be doing, however, is staying up through the morning. He ended up doing that a few days after the date fiasco, and both Gamer's Body and Mind were partially turned off for the day. Not fun, especially when he was an emotional train wreck at the time.

He'd just have to see what the morning would bring him.

* * *

Jaune opened his to a white haired angel looking down at him.

"Seven thirty two. Exactly eight hours. You weren't kidding about that." Oh wait, it was just Weiss.

"Am I… In your lap?" Jaune asked, suddenly realizing the position he was in.

 **You have slept on an** _ **very**_ **comfortable surface:  
** **HP, AP, and MP fully restored, +5 Luck for 24 hours**

 **[OK]**

Weiss instantly scowled and pushed him to the floor.

"Next time, carry yourself. You weigh too much." She comments Jaune chuckled, the metal of the Bullhead floor on his face.

"Thanks, Weiss."

* * *

 **Thanks as always to my Betas, Macheddy and CasuallyPosting.**

 **There was a lot of Jaune x Weiss this chapter, but that was simply because he was spending the most time with her. This is the same situation as when he spent the day with Blake. For those of you who ship it, you're welcome, and for those of you who don't, it's not set in stone.**

 **So, I have a question for you all and I'd like to hear your opinions on it. To me, this chapter was abrupt. Cardin was revealed as a bully in this chapter and Jaune is going to deal with him in the next (Presumably. No spoilers, of course). Now, the whole reveal of Cardin isn't what I find to be abrupt. It was, but it's been foreshadowed for a while now, and it was meant to be rather sudden. Why? Well that's part of the mystery.**

 **But what I really find to be abrupt is that there's no real filler to this chapter. Cardin does all of two things, and that's about it. Entire week passes in a chapter. In future chapters, I will make an effort to add a little more substance than this, but if you've read The Hero, you know how sub par my writing is when making filler.**

 **So my question is, what would you prefer? Would you rather a decent amount of filler, though its contents may be slightly lacking, or are you okay with chapters that get right to the point and heart of the story. To clarify, the length of the chapters will not change, and chapters won't be as abrupt as this chapter from now on no matter what your choice is.**

 **Thank you for your feedback, and on to the reviews.**

 **Nearly all of them were supportive of the story, and I really appreciate all of you who showed your support. As I've said before, though, I am fine with negative reviews. They help me look at the story in ways that I hadn't before. So to anyone who's posted a negative review, no worries.**

 **You are all amazing, and until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	14. Falling in The Forest

**You have arrived at Forever Falls. In your previous game, your first thought was:  
** ' **This is it. Cardin's going to pay.'**

 **[OK]**

That was the first pop up Jaune saw as his feet touched down on the soil of the forest. Confidence swirled in his chest as his resolve only further hardened. This misunderstanding with Cardin would end here and now, as it had in his past life. This, Jaune was certain of.

Ahead of him, nearly everyone had gotten off the Bullhead, already setting off at a quick pace to wherever they were going. The leader of Team JWLR jogged to catch up, nearly missing Ms. Goodwitch's debriefing by his dawdling.

"-is _extremely_ dangerous. I do not know how to make myself more clear. Grimm spawn here at a startling rate, and of you are not on your guard at all times… Well, let's just say you should travel with your Team." The teacher warned. Jaune didn't hear all of it, but he certainly understood the message.

Once they had made it to a clearing a good jaunt away from the Bullhead, the elder huntress handed out empty bottles to everyone in the group. At the same time, Jaune scanned the crowd of students for his friends.

Pyrrha, Ruby, and Yang all stuck together, functioning as more of a team than either Team Penny or Team Jeweler ever was. Nora stuck around Blake, idly chatting while knowing the Faunus enthusiast wasn't paying attention. Jaune was happy to see that the two partners were back together again, though not as amiable as before. Finally, the remaining members stood alone. Ren, wanting nothing to do with anybody, and Weiss, not having anybody to do anything with.

Then there was Cardin, smiling right at Jaune.

"Your goal will be to collect sap from the trees of the forest by any means you see fit. Afterwards, you will have to survive any Grimm you encounter for the remaining time we will stay here. Try not to die, but if you do, let it be in my view. Dismissed!" Glynda asserted the schedule for the day as everyone looked at each other. "I said go!" She yelled, causing the mass of students to suddenly scatter.

Ren ninja'd away, Weiss calmly walked away to find her own section of the forest, Ruby and Nora both took off running, causing their companions to follow suit, and Jaune was soon left alone.

A strong hand clasped his shoulder.

"Come on, henchman. You have sap to fill up." The king commanded. Jaune closed his eyes and steeled himself.

Well… Not _too_ alone.

* * *

The rest of Team Cardinal isn't with you." Jaune noted as they made a track to their own secluded spot.

" _Sir_." Cardin reminded, though Jaune didn't bother to correct himself. "And I could say the same about your team. What's your point?" Jaune shrugged.

"Well, I just find it interesting that the 'Bully of Beacon' with all his supposed power and prestige doesn't even have a reign on his own team."

"Careful there, Arc." The larger hunter's eyes narrowed. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt because of something you said. Besides, I have everything I need, power, prestige-"

"Company." Jaune cut off. "Or, you _used_ to have that." His hand tapped nervously against the handle of his sword as Cardin placed his own on his mace.

"What are you trying to say?"

"We were friends, Cardin. We _are_ friends- I'd like to believe that, at least. Then you became a 'bully' out of nowhere and now you won't tell me anything! What happened to you, man?" In response, the king gritted his teeth and tossed Jaune his sap jar.

"Just collect the damn sap while I take a nap. And it's ' _sir'_ to you." Cardin turned to find a nice, soft tree to rest on, but stopped when he heard the jar fall to the ground.

"No, Cardin. We need to talk."

"You _need_ to shut the hell up before I beat the crap out of you!" The Winchester threatened. Optionless, Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors and prepared himself.

"The easy way or the hard way, Cardin. What's it gonna be?"

"Don't make me laugh, Arc." The mace wielded equipped himself, shaking his head. "This goes the same way every time. Just quit while I still have some patience for you."

"The hard way it is." Cardin's fake smile dropped.

"Fine. You want a beating, you'll get a beating." The king brought his mace up, and it was game time.

The first hit was blocked by Jaune's shield, and his heels instantly dug into the dirt. One thing became quite clear in that moment. In all their fights, Cardin had been holding back. Jaune tried to reposition himself for the next strike and was yet again hammered into position. Subconsciously, he could feel his aura draining slightly with the sheer force of each blow. Blocking wouldn't be sustainable for very long.

Channeling Weiss' training, Jaune combat rolled out of the way of Cardin's next overhead attack. The blow crashed into the ground, leaving a dent in its wake as the leader of Team JWLR steadied himself. When the larger hunter turned to face him, Jaune unlatched his shield and actually _chucked it_ at his tormentor.

Cardin brought up his hands to protect his face, leaving the stomach open as Jaune charged in. Crocea Mors smashed into the Winchester's stomach. As one of the main places Cardin had no aura, the strike certainly did some damage. Cardin hunched and dropped his mace in the attack, allowing Jaune to bring his sword straight up and hit his former friend's face.

The leader of Team CRDL couldn't be defeated that easily, though, as Cardin caught the blade in his hands, draining aura to protect him from any cuts. The bully smirked wickedly at Jaune, assuming he had the upper hand. And perhaps he did, but Jaune was used to being at a disadvantage. Wrapping his left leg around Cardin's right, Jaune leaned back, pulling both fighters to the ground.

Cardin released his grip on Crocea Mors and Jaune managed to get in a few extra licks before he scurried away to safely pick himself up. The king did the same, rearming himself in the process.

"Grappling…" Cardin noted, starting to look more serious as they circled each other. "Did the champion or the princess teach you that?"

"Neither. That was all me." Jaune responded, trying to raise confidence within himself. While the attack was indeed 'all him,' that was merely because he improvised it on the spot. Still, better to make Cardin think he was stronger than he actually was because-

"So you improvised." Well, shit. One of the three people responsible for Jaune's training had a number on his strength- What a surprise. Jaune simply frowned at the comment, refusing to engage any further. He'd talk when Cardin finally opened up about his problems, nothing more.

As if sensing the brief conversation was over, Cardin rushed in, nicking Jaune's left shoulder before he could dodge. The leader of Team JWLR ducked and weaved through the next few strike, but the stronger student was relentless in his attack, forcing Jaune to maneuver more than he ever had in Weiss' training.

Speaking of Weiss' training, it was certainly coming in handy now. As the heiress taught him, Jaune was predicting his opponent's attacks mere seconds before they happened. In fact, he was predicting the attacks _so_ well that he had begun to see a pattern-

In that very moment, the novice hunter remember another piece of advice from his training- One that Pyrrha told him. Patterns used by beginners could be exploited, patterns used by more advanced fighters were _always_ traps.

Unfortunately, Jaune only remembered this lesson as blunt force hit his gut- Coincidentally, how he learned the lesson in the first place- and he crumpled to the ground on his back.

"You give up yet?" The renegade hunter taunted, standing above Jaune near his feet. Jaune no longer had his weapon, and everything seemed a bit more hopeless than usually. That was until a sudden bolt of inspiration struck him.

If he had an elemental punch, why not an elemental kick?

Ignoring the pop up that came along with it, the skill inventor's left leg lit up in a blaze- And before Cardin could react, he was kicked across the clearing and into a tree, slightly smoldering.

Seizing the advantage, Jaune jumped up and raced towards Cardin. A flame coalesced around his fist as he prepared yet another elemental strike. At the last moment, however, the bull wretched himself out of the trajectory of the punch, causing the tree behind him to explode instead. Turning to face the king once more, Jaune grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, determined not to miss this next strike. And then the flame disappeared.

Jaune ran out of magic…

 _Again_.

Grabbing Jaune by the scruff of _his_ shirt, the leader of Team CRDL turned the tide of the battle in an instant. One moment, the inexperienced hunter towered over his tormentor, the next, his tormentor towered over _him_ , raining down punches like hellfire from the sky.

The pounding continued relentlessly, Jaune not even getting a second to breath as he struggled from beneath Cardin. Unlike the last time he made this mistake, there was no mysterious grimm to save Jaune this time. The beating never ceased until Jaune finally felt his aura shatter, and punch later, his nose was broken. Then, and only then, did Cardin stop.

"Surrender." The king commanded. There was a brief moment of silence as Jaune seemed to consider it.

"Never." His voice was more congested than usual due to the blood clogging his nose, but neither cared at that moment.

"Your aura is gone, Jaune. This isn't a game anymore. I can _kill_ you right now." Jaune tried to snort at this, but the action simply garnered more blood to run down his face.

"You don't even know how many times my life has been threatened since I came to Beacon. If I let the fear of death rule me, I wouldn't be able to do anything. I'm _not_ giving up." That struck a chord in Cardin.

"I've defeated you! You're at my mercy- You're life is in _my_ _hands_! You have to give up!"

"Why?" The bully seemed flabbergasted at this simple question.

"I- It's- It's battle etiquette! I win and you give up!"

"Or you kill me." Jaune finished the ultimatum. "Go on, do it."

"Don't be stupid, Arc. Just give up and fill up my damn sap jar!" Jaune gave a bloody smile, calling the Winchester's bluff.

"But you won't kill me."

"I can easily kill you!" Cardin rejected, waving his fist in the air as if to prove a point.

"Oh, I know you can. But you _won't_. Because we're friends." The former bully sighed, choosing to ignore that last comment.

"Why are you being so difficult?" He was referring to the fight, but Jaune had other ideas.

"Because we're friends, Cardin. And friends are there for each other no matter what."

"How are we friends?!" Cardin snapped. "I bullied you, _blackmailed_ you!"

"You didn't mean it. I forgive you." The grip on Jaune's shirt released and his head made a thud on the ground.

"I'm a racist, an asshole…" The king muttered, though he seemed to be speaking more to himself than Jaune.

"You have reasons." Jaune insisted. "And I won't give up until you talk to me about them." Cardin looked down to Jaune. A sense of recognition passed over his face, and he sighed.

"…Fine."

 **You are now entering: [Cardin Flashback]  
** **A replay of this flashback can be found in [FLASHBACK] tab of the main menu.**

 **[OK]**

"Wait what?"

* * *

The scene started on a young boy walking through an alleyway. His light brown hair was unkempt and scraggy, similar to his clothes. Sulking, the boy dropped the one book he was carrying as he hit into a block in the road. The boy reached down to pick up the lost item, but the roadblock got to it first.

"What's this, Cardin? A _diary_?" A larger boy, looking to be a dog Faunus, asked. The boy had black hair even more disheveled than Cardin's. He waved the book over Cardin's head, but the brown haired simply sighed.

"It's a _library book_ , Sale. Maybe you'd recognize it if you even knew how to read." As he spoke, more previously unknown Faunus came out of the woodwork, gathering around Cardin in a vague circle.

"Hey Hey Hey, What's with the attitude? Didn't your mother ever teach you to apologize when you run into someone." Sale gave a sick smile.

" _Sorry_." Cardin spoke bluntly, not an ounce of apology in his voice.

"I would forgive you…" Sale reasoned, offering the book back with a gesture. The younger boy refused to take the bait. "But I don't like your tone!" With that, Cardin was roughly pushed to the ground- Though he scurried up quickly.

"Just give it back, Sale." The boy said.

"Oh, do you want it?" The bully grinned. "Well then why don't you catch it!" Sale threw the book over Cardin's head to another Faunus behind him. Still, Cardin refused to react.

"Really? Throwing it over my head? Come up with something original if you plan on bullying me." Sale's grin weakened but refused to disappear.

" _Relax_ , Cardin! I'm just trying to mess around with you, why do you have to be such a dick?"

" _I'm_ a dick?" The brown haired boy laughed. "Pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? Just give me my book back and move on."

"I heard your dad got a promotion recently. That's nice, more money in the piggy bank." Sale completely ignored the comment. "How long has he been working in the dust mines?"

"Three years. What does that-?"

" _Three_ years! Damn! Been working for such a short time and he's already been promoted. Now that's the kind of upward mobility I expect from the Schnee Dust Company." Sale looked out into the distance, as if he was talking to an invisible audience. "Well… For a human." Suddenly, his tone shifted to a much darker state, and his eyes bore into Cardin with an underlying fury. "For instance, do you know how long _my_ dad has been working in those mines?"

"H- How long?" For the first time, Cardin showed signs of nervousness, sensing that something was wrong.

"Sixteen years! And in the time, he hasn't been promoted once. In fact, he just received a pay drop last week- Something about 'funding the new boss' as he said. Would you know anything about that, _Cardin_?" The other Faunus surrounding them started to shift, uncomfortable in this new situation.

"Hurting me won't solve anything." The future leader of Team CRDL tried to rationalize.

"Oh, I know." Sale nodded, gaining an almost sane expression for a moment. That expression was soon dashed as his sickening grin returned. "But it will sure as hell make me feel better."

In that moment, Cardin hunched over as a sucker punch from Sale leveled him out. Just a sudden, he was jolted back as a violent punch to the face caused his nose to start bleeding profusely. Cardin fell to the ground when Sale again pushed him, and there he stayed.

"Woah! Sale! Chill out, dude!" A monkey Faunus from the ring of spectators cautioned. "We were just gonna rough him around, don't _kill_ the bastard!" Sale rolled his eyes.

"What? I was just having fun with my friend Cardin. No harm done, right buddy?" The black haired Faunus asked his victim, who simple groaned back. Sale kicked him. "Fine. He's not worth it anyway."

The bully walked off, and so did his followers, only the monkey Faunus stayed behind any longer to make sure Cardin wouldn't bleed out- but he soon followed the rest of the bunch without saying a word.

Cardin didn't stand up for a while after that, not until his nose had stopped bleeding and the blood had dried up. Even then, he did not stand- merely sitting up straight with his head on his knees and his fist curled.

* * *

By the time the flashback ended, Jaune's aura had made a comeback to stop the bleeding and was ever so slowly healing his nose. Jaune, of course, didn't pay this much mind, instead trying to process what he had just witnessed.

"That day was the worst it ever got." Present day Cardin admitted. "Usually, they would just steal my things or insult me when I walked by, but the Schnee Dust Company Really screwed them over that week, so tensions were high."

Jaune remained silent, and Cardin continued to explain himself.

"The kid, Sale, actually ended up in a juvenile penitentiary for one too many illegal acts. So… It wasn't usually like that." He repeated himself awkwardly, running the back of his head.

"You were so small…" Jaune finally commented.

"Heh. Yeah, I hit my growth spurt pretty late in the game. But when it hit, _damn_ did it hit hard."

"Indeed. You are very big. And also very heavy. Can you get off me now?" Cardin's eyes grew, realizing he was still pinning Jaune to the ground from their fight.

"Oh yeah, sorry." The pair stood up together. When Jaune made no move to speak, Cardin continued to justify himself. "Call it petty, stupid, or whatever you want, but after that day, I just- I needed to know _how_."

"'How,' what?"

"How someone could derive pleasure from bullying people. Sale told me he knew that beating me up wouldn't fix the problem, but it would make him feel better. I wanted- No, _needed_ to figure out how."

"So you started bullying Faunus." Jaune worked through the rational. "You put yourself in the same position your tormentors were, in the hopes that you could understand their minds."

"Beacon was a fresh start," Cardin agreed. "Nobody knew my past, and I could easily bully those considered 'beneath' me, like the Faunus."

"And what about them? Didn't you feel any empathy for what you were putting them through?" The leader of Team JWLR continued his line of reasoning.

"And what about _me_?" Cardin snapped for the first time since he started sharing his past. "None of them ever had empathy for _me_! And even if they did, what difference did it make if one person stopped? There were still dozens more to fill in their place!"

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Cardin. Bullying-"

" _I needed to know_!" The bully shouted, tears finally showing. "I _know_ bullying is wrong, I'm not stupid! But what does it matter? What says the happiness of those Faunus is greater than my closure?! And if happiness is valued, why can't I have my answer?!" The larger hunter was shouting, but Jaune- by the powers of the game- kept his cool.

"And what is the answer, Cardin?"

"What?"

"You've been bullying Faunus for awhile now, and you certainly bullied me, so what's the answer? How does it feel to oppress people like you were?"

"I… I…" Silence overtook the clearing as Cardin legitimately considered the question. "…I feel nothing." He finally concluded, barely louder than a whisper.

"I didn't think you would." Jaune, the pseudo-therapist, commented. "I've never met Sale, but I'd be willing to bet a whole bunch of money on saying he didn't have a loving household growing up. He tried to find that love and happiness lost to him by taking it from you, but he never quite filled that void, and that's why he's in that penitentiary today. But _you_ , on the other hand- Did you grow up in a loving household?"

"Yes…"

"My point exactly. You were raised with love and taught good morals. Bullying won't make you feel anything, and it never has for anybody. Not even Sale."

"But he said-"

"This guy's an asshole, right?" Jaune firmly cut off. Cardin nodded. "Well, have you ever considered that maybe he's a liar, too?" The former king looked down.

"So it was all for nothing, then? I hurt, bullied, and oppressed people for nothing?"

"You got your answer, didn't you?"

"I can't accept that." The leader of Team CRDL decided, but Jaune shut that shit down _fast_.

"People make mistakes, Cardin! It's called being human- Faunus- whatever! If you want to feel something, how about relief?"

"Relief? What do you mean?"

"I mean the relief you'll feel once you apologize to your team and everyone else you've hurt. Once you've shown that you're ready to make amends, and you take responsibility for your actions, they will forgive you. Some might take longer than others, but if the apology is genuine, they _will_ forgive you. Then, and only then, will you feel relief."

"…I- I-" Emotion started cracking through this former bully's persona once more, and Jaune swiftly pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Jaune." His voice didn't crack, and there were no sobs, but pure emotion could still be heard in his voice. The leader of Team JWLR held on tighter.

"I forgive you." He repeated. "I forgave you the moment you opened up to me because I know you're a good person, Cardin." His former opponent hugged back, just for the slightest amount of time.

"I don't think anyone else would agree with you." Cardin stated.

"Then show them." Jaune finally released the hug. "Actions speak louder than words. Ask how you can make it up to them, and then do it. Start with your team, and just go step by step from there. I'll be here for you when you're finished." The boy, who has just before seemed so menacing, chuckled.

"In that case, I don't think we'll be seeing each other for a while." Jaune smiled.

"I'll be here if you need me. Now go."

"Now?"

"Go!" Jaune insisted.

"Alright, alright. See you around, Jaune." Cardin Winchester waves his goodbyes as he meandered into the forest, armed with an empty sap jar, a mace, and good intentions.

"See ya, Cardin."

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Under the Thumb of King Cardin**

 **Objective One Completed: Find a way out from Cardin Winchester's grasp**

 **Failure Avoided: -15 Bond with Cardin Winchester, -5 Bond to all Bonds, Eternal Enslavement**

 **Reward: +10 Bond with Cardin Winchester, +5 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +5 Bond with Ruby Rose, +2 Bond with Nora Valkyrie, +8 INT, +8 WIS, +8 STR  
** **Bonus: +1 True Bond with Cardin Winchester**

 **[OK]**

Jaune let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Holy shit, I'm not dead! That was… _Crazy_."

* * *

After finding a river to wash his face off, Jaune finally collected his own sap. Aura had nearly put his nose back in order- It would simply hurt like a bitch for a while.

Sitting down against one of the many trees as his work was completed, the leader of Team JWLR had time to relax and admire the beauty of the forest. Red leaves reflected the ever setting sun, causing a beautiful glow throughout the forest. Despite the forest being 'forever fall,' Jaune did also notice some flowers blooming on the branches of some of the larger trees. The leaves might be forever fall, but it seemed that the rest of the forest followed the same lifecycle as every other forest.

Reflecting back on the events, which had just transpired, Jaune really surprised himself. He handled Cardin with the grace of a professional psychiatrist and then some. The wannabe hunter never actually knew he was full of as much wisdom as he was. On that train of thought, where did this understanding of the human mind come from, anyway? He told Pyrrha he studied it after being bullied, but according to the game that was a lie. And if that was a lie, what was the truth? And why couldn't he seem to remember-?

A rustling from the nearby trees grabbed his attention, and instantly he was on guard. Glynda had warned the class of dangerous in this area, and Jaune wasn't about to lose all his progress with Cardin by some horrid monstrosity. As opposed to a horrid monstrosity, however, Jaune was graced with the presence of a little reaper instead.

"Hi Jaune…" Ruby Rose greeted, awkwardly staring down the blade of his weapon. "Mind if I sit with you?" Her leader was taken aback

"Uhh… Yeah, no, sure you can." He leaned back down on his tree and made room for Ruby. That didn't actually leave much space for _him_ , but he wasn't very focused on that right now.

Jaune looked to the huntress expectantly, but she began admiring the scenery along with him. Seeing no sense in demanding any sort of answer from her, Jaune simply let things stand, settling to enjoy her company for however long he had it. This congruent appreciation of nature continued on for a few minutes more, but inevitably, Ruby spoke.

"I saw your fight with Cardin." The reaper commented. Jaune glanced over at her.

"You did? How?" The leader asked stupidly.

"When you blow up a tree, people are going to notice." Ruby reasoned. The team leader chuckled.

"I suppose that makes sense. Was anyone else watching?"

"Blake and Nora, they were there before I arrived. I didn't see anyone else." So that's where those extra bonds came from- The game never gave him anything without a reason. But how did it know they would be there? Eh, questions for another time.

"So, is that why you're here?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, kinda… I just- I heard most of what you said to Cardin and I started thinking… I… I don't want to fight with you anymore. It doesn't make me happy- In fact, it does the opposite! I- I want to go back to being friends and… I'm sorry for what I've done and said against you."

"A-"

"And before you say it," Ruby interrupted as soon as Jaune opened his mouth. "I understand that 'my problem is with Weiss, not you.' Did I guess that right?" The leader nodded sheepishly at being called out. "And to that… I can't forgive her. But…" She but her lip as if she was about to say something unholy. "I can give her a chance to say sorry. For a lack of better terms- I'll stop being a such a bitch towards her." At that, Jaune couldn't help but laugh out loud, making Ruby blush as red as her cloak. "What? Why are you laughing at me? I'm bearing my soul here!"

"Haha… I'm sorry, Ruby. It's just… You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"So… Do you forgive me?" Suddenly, the petite reaper was wrapped in great big hug, making her squeak in surprise.

"You know I forgive you, Ruby." The young huntress remained stiff for a moment, but soon loosened up and hugged him back. Man, hugs really do help the healing process. They stayed like that for a little while before finally separating to wonder at nature once more.

"…Hey, Ruby?" Jaune asked into the silence of the forest.

"Yeah?"

"If you were there for my fight with Cardin, why didn't you step in when he broke my aura and threatened to kill me?"

"Uhh… To be honest, I still wasn't sure I wanted to be friends with you again at that time…" Ruby admitted awkwardly.

"Ruby! I could've died!"

"Whoops?"

* * *

 **As I said last time, I'm dissatisfied with home short this whole arc ended up being. I should have at least put another chapter in between this one and the last, but what's done is done. I already have a crazy amount planned out for the future, so hopefully this won't happen again.**

 **So... No Beta review, but that's fine. As long as it's legible.**

 **Thanks to all those showing me their support. I always appreciate it. And for those who aren't happy with the story, well I'm sorry the story doesn't please you.**

 **As for people asking about the mystery and wondering about the changes from the cannon to this story. Well... You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? (That's why it's a mystery.)**

 **Some people have also commented that the game seems too hard for Jaune, and I hope this chapter helps to relieve some of that worry. Jaune will have ups and downs, it just so happened that he had a bunch of downs right in a row. But he'll have more mixed highs and lows in the future.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	15. Eat, Drink, Pay

**[STATUS]**

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 6 EXP: 235/1200  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 600/600 (+48 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 5000/5000 (+48 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 500/500 (+24 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-**

 **STR: 27  
** **DEX: 19  
** **INT: 25 (23+1+1)  
** **WIS: 24  
** **END: 29 (30-1)  
** **CHA: 21 (18+3)  
** **LCK: 16 (12+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 19**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Equipment-**

 **Right Hand Weapon: [Crocea Mors]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Arc Shield]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Money-**

 **Lien: 497  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Bonds-**

 **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 12/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 9/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: 7/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 17/200- Sees potential in you  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: -47/200- Will not hesitate to kill you  
** **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 0/200- Perhaps you could be redeemed… Maybe  
** **[Glynda Goodwitch] Bond LV: 5/200- You are a** _ **very**_ **interesting student  
** **[Velvet Scarlatina] Bond LV: 1/200- Sees you as a fellow member of the cause  
** **[Coco Adel] Bond LV: 2/200- Eh. Whatever  
** **[Cardin Winchester] Bond LV: 50/200- Considers you the greatest friend ever  
** **[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **[SKILLS]**

 **-Gamer Skills-**

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.**

 **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **-Basic Skills-**

 **Observe LV: 3- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.  
** **At LV: 3- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 103 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 78 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 53 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 43 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 33 levels.**

 **Sense danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **Detect Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to detect a lie.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to detect lie of anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to lie to others.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to lie to anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **Auto Dodge LV: 2- Allows the Gamer to dodge in coming attacks automatically.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies with a lower level than the the Gamer. 30% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies beyond the Gamer's level, within 5 levels. 5% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies beyond 5 levels above the Gamer.**

 **-Aura Skills-**

 **Aura LV: 1- A general overview of how adept the Gamer is in using Aura.  
** **At LV: 1- The Gamer can learn Category 5 Aura skills and below. Category 0 Aura skills and below are instantly maxed out.**

 **Aura Channeling LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to move aura through their body at will, making it easier to learn new aura skills.  
** **At LV: MAX- -50% difficulty when learning new aura skills and -25% difficulty when leveling them up.**

 **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **-Magic Skills-**

 **Fire LV: 1- Allows the gamer to light things on fire. As simple as that.  
** **At LV: 1- Fire can be created at the price of -50 MP for around five seconds. Within that time, an amount of fire equal to the Gamer's Body volume can be made. If more fire than this is made, the time that the fire can exist falls accordingly.**

 **Elemental Punch LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to enhance their punch with an element of their choosing.  
** **At LV: 1- Damage dealt with Elemental Punch is increased by +50% and has an area explosion effect of 5 Meters. One punch costs -80 MP.**

 **Elemental Kick LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to enhance their kick with an element of their choosing.  
** **At LV: 1- Damage dealt with Elemental Kick is increased by +50% and has an area explosion effect of 5 Meters. One kick costs -80 MP.**

 **Charm LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to link any two people together, having the first person become infatuated with the second.  
** **At LV: 1- Spell duration lasts for 3 hours and boosts a person's bond by +30.**

 **-Stance Skills-**

 **Scythe Stance One LV: MAX- A Complex Stance that is pertinent for scythe combat.  
** **At LV: MAX- The gamer is able to handle any scythe without injury. +20% Physical Damage when wielding a scythe in this stance. +30% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **Aggressive Stance LV: 5- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 5- +5% Physical Damage when wielding a longsword in this stance.**

 **Defensive Stance LV: 5- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 5- +5% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **-Weapon Skills-**

 **Scythe Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5- +5 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.**

 **Longsword Proficiency LV: 8- Increases the skill the gamer has with long sword-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 8- +8 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.**

 **Light Shield Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5- +5 Defense when using shield-like weapons.**

Jaune was not one to brag, but he was honestly looking pretty good. Certainly not the best stats in the world- Far from it- but at this level, the leader of Team JWLR could certainly handle the average grunt of a crime boss or something similar. To be honest, he could probably wipe the floor with any random untrained person on the street should he want to…. Not that he wanted to!

Anyway, how were his allies looking?

 **Name: Ruby Rose  
** **LV: 36 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Fire of the Forge  
** **Race: Advanced Human**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 3600/3600  
** **AP: 9550/9550**

 **[OK]**

 **Name: Yang Xiao-Long  
** **LV: 42 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Molotov Cocktail**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 4200/4200  
** **AP: 10150/10150**

 **[OK]**

Yeah… Exactly what was the purpose of the observed skill if he couldn't actually see any stats? Sure, the information he got was useful, but he already kinda knew their health from his scroll, and actually seeing how powerful they were would be way more helpful. Especially when dealing with enemies.

 **New Feature: Enemy Stats  
** **Trying to gage the strength of your enemy? We got you covered. But… You probably don't want to- Just a word of advice.  
** **Adds: Observe can now see the Stats of people within 10 levels.**

 **[OK]**

See? That was what the observe skill should've been showing him to begin with. Of course, this actually did nothing for him considering the gap in levels, but he'd get there eventually. Now, what about his opponent?

 **Name: Pyrrha Nikos  
** **LV: 56 EXP: NULL**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 5600/5600  
** **AP: 14750/14750**

 **[OK]**

So this was the first time Jaune had actually seen Pyrrha's Level. Certainly a testament to how far he'd come under her training. That fact didn't make him any more confident, though, as he stared down a fighter with a level fifty higher than his own and with three and a half times the aura. Well… No time for hesitation now.

"Ruby, flank! Yang, with me!" The leader of Team JWLR called out to start the match. Pyrrha stood steady and waiting as the three huntsmen charged, not flinching in the slightest.

Ruby came around from the back with Crescent Rose while Jaune and Yang approached fast from the front. The champion didn't move until the very last second, barely moving sideways to dodge Ruby's attack while leaving out a foot for the girl to trip on. Ruby barreled coward into her team leader, but Yang still had a clear shot.

The blonde's fist hit the golden shield accompanied by the sound of a shotgun blast. Pyrrha's feet dug into the earth, but she did not falter. Instead, she rebuffed the blow as Yang wound back for the next attack and stabbed out with her spear. Unable to comprehend the speed of the strike, Yang could neither dodge nor deflect before she was sent flying backwards.

Ruby was the next to engage. Getting up before Jaune did, the reaper flew towards Pyrrha with her scythe in hand. A swipe was aimed at the opponents legs, but Pyrrha simply jumped over it, channeling aura to her legs to get the extra boost. In no time flat, Ruby again swiped at the legs, this time as they were positioned in the air. This attack was destined to hit as when Pyrrha came back down, her body would still be in the zone of danger. And in fact, the strike did connect- Connecting with the champion's metal brace on her arm and doing no damage whatsoever. Pyrrha then took the next moment to reach around and pull Crescent Rose from the weapon fanatic's hand, throwing the mechanical beast into an approaching Jaune while kicking Ruby away with a front kick.

Pyrrha barely had time to breath when she launched herself into the air with a backflip, completely avoiding Yang's punch from behind- Now being the one behind Yang herself. The brawler tried to correct this mistake, yet the damage was already done. The champion unleashed a fury of blows upon her partner's back- taking out a chunk of her aura in the process- before Yang finally turned around to block. To the blonde's credit, she didn't seem too shaken from the attack, instantly attempting to pay back the damage done and putting Pyrrha on the back pedal. The more Yang hurt, the more she could push Pyrrha back.

The 'Y' of Team PBNY was unable to actually land a hit, but her efforts paid off when Jaune and Ruby finally arrived to back her up. Yang suddenly let up, and the three circled their opponent with serious prejudice. Pyrrha stood still, simply waiting for the next bout. Once Jaune was behind the champion, he nodded to his companions, and they each rushed forward to attack- Half a second after the order, Pyrrha's shield struck Jaune in the face harder than any punch he'd ever felt before. Yang and Ruby continued onwards to the prize, but Pyrrha easily stepped between them as both of their attacks were accidentally overshot. The two sisters crashed into each other, and a blow from the champion's spear sent them to the floor.

With all of her opponents on the ground, Pyrrha's stance relaxed.

"Do you give?" She challenged, a stone cold look still on her face from the moment they began.

"Ugh… Fine, we give." Yang complained, pulling herself up and off her sister. At this, the leader of Team PBNY's face shifted back to its normal happy self.

"Nice try guys, you almost got me!" Pyrrha encouraged her former opponents.

"Yeah, right. We didn't even hit you once." Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head. "Didn't we ask you to go easy on us?"

"That _was_ easy." The champion insisted. Everyone stared in awe, causing her to blush slightly. "…Sorry?"

"Pfft, remind me never to piss you off." Yang joked once she got over her amazement. The blonde took out her flask from- wherever- and took a swig. Both Pyrrha and Ruby watched as she did this, but neither commented.

"Ignoring Pyrrha's godlike skills as a fighter, are we going to be doing anything tomorrow?" Jaune stepped in. It had been a week since he and Ruby made up, and together, they had been making up for lost time.

"Oh yeah!" The reaper suddenly remembered. "We all need to go to the city tomorrow."

""For what?" Pyrrha inquired.

"It's a secret! But trust me, you'll all love it." Ruby replied.

"Does specifically require four people?" Jaune also asked.

"No, but don't try and guess what it is! Just be there in Vale tomorrow."

"If you say so."

* * *

"Weiss?"

"Yes, Jaune?"

"Would you come with me to Vale tomorrow?"

"That depends. Who's coming along?"

"You." The Ice Queen put down the book she was reading at Jaune's cheeky joke.

"Jaune, if you're trying to trick me into meeting up with Ruby to apologize, it won't work." At this, the team leader smiled and put his own book down.

"No, but I can ask you." He pointed out. "Weiss, _would_ you like to be tricked into meeting up with Ruby to apologize?"

"Not much of a trick if I know it's coming."

"Oh I'll find a way." He promised. She smirked, but the feature soon melted away as her tone gained more of a seriousness to it.

"I… Don't think that would be such a good idea." The heiress confessed. Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Do you feel bad about what you said, assuming you knew Ruby and Yang's entire life story before even getting to know them?" Weiss flinched at the harsh truth but nodded. "Do you want to make it up to your partner, so you two can possibly be friends?"

"Well, I wouldn't go-"

" _Weiss_."

"…Yes. I do want that."

"Then the first step is to _apologize_!" The leader of Team JWLR revealed the truth to his subordinate, but she simply shook her head.

"It's not that simple-" Weiss started before Jaune cut her off.

"I think it's really simple, actually. At first you didn't want to apologize for what you said because you didn't think you needed to. _Then_ you thought you needed to apologize, but Ruby wouldn't let you. _Now_ you think you need to apologize, and Ruby is willing to hear you out! The stars have aligned, Weiss! Make things better before you miss your chance."

"That _is_ too simple, Jaune! You know how she is. An apology means _nothing_! An 'I'm sorry' isn't going to solve anything in her eyes!" As Weiss finished her rant, they both took a moment to cool off.

"I… I think we've been yelling for no reason." The leader chuckled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, when I said you should 'apologize,' I meant that you should take action to apologize, _not_ words. I mean, I think an 'I'm sorry' will help, but we're totally in agreement on the whole 'words versus actions' thing." The Ice Queen looked at him oddly for a little bit, then shook her head with a smile.

"How do you manage to also stay so composed? A lesser person would probably let our little argument spiral out of control." Jaune shivered.

"Been there, done that, not fun." They savored in each other's company for a bit more before Jaune stood up, seeing how much time he'd already spent there. "I'll see you in Vale?" He offered her a hand.

"If I must." She took his hand and stood. Her voice sounded strained, but her face told a different story.

Things were getting better.

* * *

"Okay… I hope this works." Jaune pleaded to whatever deity was watching over him as he placed the large metal block on the previous fountain's pedestal. The middle of the slab had a pipe running through it that lined up with the fountain base's pipe, but aside from that, the metal was completely bland.

In previous days Jaune had acquired a new bowl for the water to fall into and drain back down into the system, leaving only one aspect of the fountain missing- The statue. Well, it didn't have to be a _statue_ per say- He was simply referring to the general 'middle part' of a fountain. Did that have a name? Eh, whatever.

The point was the leader of Team JWLR was about to finish up the fountain's reconstruction. The Ursa had done a number on it, but now Jaune was nearly finished. At first, he was unsure of how to proceed with the quest given to him, as he couldn't quite recast concrete like the centerpiece of the fountain was before, but with enough thought and creativity, he'd worked out exactly how he'd complete this quest.

"Now the big question. Will the game let me do this?" The hesitant craftsman focused on his hands and willed his fire skill to activate. Flames bursted in his hand and were instantly sniffed out. "That's a bit too much." Once more, Jaune focused on his hands and the fire skill, this time concentrating extensively to have only the smallest flames appear. It took a few minutes, but he finally nailed it- Small burning fires at the tips of each of his fingers and a slightly bigger one in his palm. The leader grinned. "Now we're in business."

Grasping the hunk of metal, it instantly started turning red from the heat of his hands. The solidity of the metal weakened, and Jaune began the process of working the alloy into shape. The shape he was going for was… Meaningless, to be completely honest. At first, he'd wanted to make a statue like the one in the main courtyard, but he certainly did not have the ability nor time to complete a project like that. Instead, he settled for a… 'Shape,' symmetrical from every side of the fountain. At least, that's what he tried to accomplish.

Jaune knew he was finished the moment his MP reached zero. The way he has manipulated the fire caused that drain to take a lot longer than usual, yet still he felt he needed more time to add to his sculpture. It didn't matter now, however, as he'd achieved what he'd come here for and then some.

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Exclusive Exterior Installations**

 **Objective One Completed: Replace the Fountain**

 **Failure Avoided: -1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **Reward: +2 STR, +1 END, +1 Bond with Glynda Goodwitch**

 **[OK]**

 **You Leveled Up A Skill!  
** **Fire LV: 2**

 **[OK]**

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Craftsmanship**

 **[OK]**

Not bad if he did say so himself. And he did. The team leader recognized the fact that he really needed to be on the grind more, but he was progressing at a reasonable pace regardless. Now, though, he needed to get to the dorm. A big day of fun was promised by Ruby- who was now once again residing in the correct room- and Jaune didn't want to miss it by oversleeping.

As he walked back, Jaune heard a voice down one of the abandoned halls in Beacon. Rational thinking told him to let things be, but his curiosity got the best of him yet. He'd met Velvet and Coco in a similar way- So maybe this would go well. Then again, the leader of Team JWLR has also ended up spying on Weiss because of this, further extenuating their problems- So maybe this _wasn't_ such a good idea. Nevertheless, Jaune had already made his choice, sneaking along the hallway to overhear voices from an empty classroom.

"-so I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything I said and did, and if there's anything I can do to make up for my previous actions, I'm willing." Cardin's voice was unmistakable, making Jaune smile.

"To be honest, I really didn't notice!" A feminine voice responded, causing the pair to laugh. "I'm glad to hear that you're turning around and apologizing, just keep on doing that and we're totally even."

"And there's nothing I could do for you?" The leader of Team CRDL insisted. "No chores or anything you need help with?"

"Actually… I want you to apologize to my partner next, and to pay him back double what your offering me." The girl told him. " _I_ didn't notice your bullying much, but I know my partner really took things to heart. He's always been a softy, but Beacon's really gotten him down lately. I want you to give my 'payback'- or whatever it is- to him as well as his own. And… Maybe bake him a cake. He loves cakes!"

"I'll make it the best cake he's ever had." Cardin promised. Jaune smiled at this and walked away, not needing to hear anymore.

Over the last week or so, the former bully had been going from person to person, trying to make up for his past in any way he could. Jaune hadn't known exactly what that entailed, but hearing it now put any worries he had to rest. Cardin _was_ a good person, and Jaune was so proud of him.

* * *

"So… This is awkward." Yang commented as she, Pyrrha, Ruby, Jaune, and _Weiss_ stood in the middle of Vale together.

"It's- Umm… Good to see you again, Weiss." The champion greeted their unexpected companion awkwardly. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing well, thank you for asking." The heiress responded. A brief moment of silence followed, revealing the mix of palpable emotions in the air.

"So this is why you asked if it 'specifically required four people.'" Ruby guessed to her team leader, who nodded.

"Yes. Is that alright?" Jaune tested the waters. Everyone looked to the reaper and tensed, awaiting the answer.

"…Yeah, that's fine. I only have four tickets though, so she'll have to buy her own."

"Oh, that's okay w-" Weiss started, only to be interrupted by her own partner.

"Anyway! Let's get a move on. The day is being wasted just standing around!" With that, the young huntress pranced away, leading everyone to follow in suit. Jaune made note that Ruby didn't once make eye contact with Weiss, yet they did not fight either.

Progress.

* * *

"Here it is! _Hunterson's Gaming Emporium_!" Finally turning around and striking a pose at her friends- and Weiss- the petite huntress gestured to the sign above the large, unassuming, concrete building. It was… Less than expected, but Yang was the only one to announce her displeasure.

"'Gaming?' So instead of playing video games at the dorm for free, we decided to come here and pay for it?" Ruby frowned at her sister's response, but Pyrrha also made a comment before she could respond.

"Ruby, I hate to be a downer, but I'm not much of a fan of _arcades_." The leader of Team PBNY expressed honestly. The reaper looked annoyed at the assumption.

"This is not merely an _arcade_ , Pyrrha! This is a _gaming emporium_ , specifically designed with hunters in mind! Sure, they have arcade machines and the like, but there is way more to this place if you're just willing to give it a shot." Ruby pleaded with her friends, trying to win over their hearts and minds. Then she became thoughtful. "And besides, I already bought us full day passes, so us not going is a waste of a hundred and four lien."

"Personally, I think this sounds like fun." Weiss offered her opinion, though Ruby paid her no mind.

"Well, I was in from the start, so there's no mind to persuade me. And thank you for buying the pass." Jaune offered his own support in tandem, to which Ruby smiled at him.

"It's three against two, Pyrrha. I don't think we have much of a choice." The blonde sister caved.

"I could take them." Her partner assured, making Yang shake her head.

"I know, partner," Yang patted her shoulder as they all made their way inside the building. "I know."

* * *

The first thing Jaune noticed about the 'Gaming Emporium' was how dark it was inside. The lights were practically off, with the only thing to guide one's way being the light from the many games that littered the otherwise open lot once a person walked past the food area and entrance. Of course, he could still see everyone to not walk into them, but the details of their faces were obscured by the shadows. A good place to be robbed.

…Why'd he just think that?

Regardless, the average passerby seemed happy enough with whatever it was they were doing, so Jaune was fairly sure he'd have a good time here. Ruby knew how to pick them.

"So, what's the-?" The team leader cut himself off when he noticed that there was no longer anyone surrounding him aside from Weiss, who was waiting patiently beside him. "Where did-?"

"Yang and Pyrrha headed off to the more 'hunter-y' section and Ruby ran off to somewhere in the arcade." His only loyal subordinate informed him. "What shall we do?" She inquired.

"That's what I was about to ask them, seeing as there's so many options. But now, I'm really not sure…"

"The passes also provides us with free food and drink for the day. I'm not exactly hopeful at the prospect of whatever food they serve here, but it's a possibility." The heiress offered as she subtly scooted closer to the front of the place.

" _Oh_ no. You're not going to be antisocial under my watch!" He shook his head, grabbing her shoulder.

"Wha- I wasn't-" Weiss stuttered at the accusation.

"Now come on, let's go see what Ruby's up to."

* * *

With the sheer size of the building, it took a little while for Jaune and Weiss to track down the young reaper. Eventually, though, they found her with her eyes glued to an arcade screen as she consistently mashed button with her insane speed.

"Hey Ruby, what are you playing?" Jaune revealed their presence to the focused gamer.

"Oh, hey Jaune." She greeted, not taking her eyes off the screen as she mowed down Grimm with the plastic gun supplied as a controller. "It's this new arcade game that just game out- Sorry about rushing off, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't already taken. I think it's about some guy who can control Grimm or something- I don't know. I just wanted to get to it for the shooting mechanic."

"No problem, sounds cool." The team leader admitted.

"Yeah, it's lots of fun. Now are you gonna put your day pass to good use or what?" The reaper nodded over the other unoccupied plastic gun controller.

"I don't know. Weiss, do you want to play?" Whatever Weiss' response would have been died in the heiress' throat when Ruby shot an unreadable glance her way, finally noticing his companion's presence.

"I- I'm good. I'll just watch." Weiss assured, making Jaune shrug.

"Alright. I'll have a go then." Jaune swiped his pass into the reader and picked up the faux blaster.

To Ruby's credit, the game was indeed fun to play. The controls were insanely responsive and every shot was wonderfully emulated on the screen. Each kill garnered the players an amount of points depending on what type of Grimm it was, which were then added to a counter at the top of add something of a competitive element to the game. Ruby absolutely dominated in this category.

"Geez, Ruby. How are you so good of this?" The leader of Team JWLR wondered aloud.

"Well, I have a bunch of practice with these types of games, but besides that- It's really just aiming. And considering Crescent Rose is part sniper, aiming just comes naturally to me." Ruby offered an explanation.

"Hmm… Aiming…" It was in this moment that Jaune realized a critical flaw in his style of fighting. Why was he spending the time to learn how to dodge out of harm's way, when he didn't need to be in harm's way to begin with? "I need a gun!"

"Pfft, I could've told you that." Weiss remarked, before suddenly realizing she was still in Ruby's presence and went back to being silent.

"Yup." The reaper agreed.

 **New Skill acquired:  
** **Shooting**

 **[OK]**

"Why was I the last one to realize this?" He looked to his companions, no longer focused on the game.

"I thought you knew you needed a ranged weapon, and we're just saving up money to buy one. A good one is expensive, you know." Ruby explained.

"How much?"

"Five thousand lien at the lowest." Jaune took a look a his savings.

 **Lien: 497**

 **[OK]**

Well… It seemed a ranged weapon would be out of the cards for him for a while. He'd need to grind a _whole_ bunch to get even close to that number. Eh, he was managing with his sword- and scythe, to a lesser extent- so the matter wasn't too pressing. But it was a goal for the future.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Reaching for the Stars**

 **Objective One: Acquire a Ranged Weapon of some kind for your permanent arsenal.**

 **Reward: +2 Bond with Ruby Rose, +1 Bond with Weiss Schnee, +1 Bond with Pyrrha Nikos, +1 LV in Shooting Skill, +3 STR, +2 END**

 **Failure: None  
** **Failure to accept Quest: None**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

Damn, no failure at all? This was quite the quest. Jaune accepted in an instant and then stepped away from the arcade machine.

"Welp, I have to go to the bathroom. Weiss, can you step in for me?" Both girls instantly looked to their leader.

"Me? B- But I don't even know how to play." The heiress tried to reason, but Jaune simply shook his head.

"That's alright. Ruby can teach you, right Ruby?"

"…Sure." The youngest huntress agreed without anybody hesitation at all. Jaune turned back to Weiss.

"It'll only be a few minutes. Just play for me until then, okay?"

"If you say so…" The white haired huntress moved past Jaune and collected the plastic gun for herself. "So… How does this thing work?" Ruby gave her partner a little side eye, but then glanced back at the screen where a cut-scene was just about to end.

"Yeah, uh, trigger to shoot, obviously. Cock the gun back to reload. The button on the side fires grenades and~" Ruby's voice trailed off as Jaune marched away from the arcade machine and towards the 'hunter-y' section of the building.

Truth be told, Jaune _didn't_ have to use the bathroom. He hadn't needed to for literal months now- which was awesome, but the way. No, instead, Jaune had left his huntress companions there to do his duty as leader of Team JWLR. He _had_ said he'd find a way to trick Weiss, after would have fun playing the game together, unknowingly bonding with each other while also learning teamwork as they played through the game. Jaune would be soon forgotten as they were more and more engrossed, and by the time the day would be over, they'd be the best of friends.

That, or they'd tear down the building with their fighting- But Jaune needed to be optimistic.

Now it was time to see what Pyrrha and Yang were up to.

* * *

Jaune soon found Yang fuming, surrounded on all sides by giant teddy bears.

"Sup Yang, what's wrong? And what's with the bears?" The leader of Team JWLR greeted his friend.

"It's this god damned game!" The blonde brawler exclaimed, gesturing to the stand behind her. A punch dummy stood tall with a wacky cartoon smile on its face while a vendor sat next to it with a smug smile.

"You can try again if you'd like." The man offered, making Yang even angrier. Suddenly, she spun around and smashed her fist onto the dummy's stupid face. Jaune needed to take a step back from the shear force of the blow, but the man to the side didn't seem bothered.

 _ **DING!**_

Behind the dummy was a tall structure with a bell at the top. Half a second after Yang's blow landed, the bell made a sound and an announcement came on.

" _Woah! That was a tough punch, but not enough to break me! Mr. Wumbo!_ " With that, the dummy that had been knocked out of commission mechanically pulled itself up, getting back into place without a scratch on it.

"You got the bell again, here's another bear." The man tossed yet another giant teddy bear onto the ever growing pile of what seemed to be five stuffed bears. "I told you that you wouldn't break Mr. Wumbo. He's just made of tougher stuff." The vendor antagonized Yang light heartedly, not noticing or not caring about her suddenly red eyes.

"Argh! I'll kill you!"

"No!"

A rush of force slammed into Jaune stomach as he stepped in the way of the hostile punch, but surprisingly, he did not lose his footing. The man behind him had dropped to the floor in surprise, and Yang's eyes suddenly blinked to Lavender once more.

"Ow." The team leader said weakly. The punch didn't do any real damage, but it had certainly blown through a sizable chunk of his aura, causing him to feel a bit drained.

"Jaune…?" Yang asked as she started to realize what she nearly had done. "Oh shit, not again, oh shit oh shit." She took a step away from Jaune and reached into her shirt to pull out her flask. When the blonde brawler downed it however, she found it to be empty. "Fuck fuck fuck. I need to get a drink- Pyrrha's over that way." Yang made a quick gesture in a seemingly random direct. And like that, the 'Y' in Team PBNY rushes away, leaving Jaune and a scared shitless vendor in her wake.

"What was that?!" The random vendor yelled. Unfortunately, Jaune had no good answer for him.

The team leader was very tempted to walk after Yang and find out just what was _'_ that,' but thought better of the idea due to his lack of aura. Perhaps he'd get an answer when he was in better shape. Right now though, he didn't want to risk it.

 **Quest Available:  
** **Going out with a Yang**

 **Objective One: Find out what Yang's problem is.  
** **Objective Two: Help Yang with her problem.**

 **Reward: +10 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, +5 Bond with Ruby Rose, +2 Bond with Pyrrha Nikos, +7 STR, +5 END, +2 CHA**

 **Failure: -20 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, -10 Bond with Ruby Rose, -2 Bond with Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Failure to accept Quest: -10 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, -5 Bond with Ruby Rose, -1 Bond with Pyrrha Nikos**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

Why was it that every time he managed to solve a problem, another one appeared? Yet another quest without a time limit, and this time, it was a doozy. At the very least, this confirmed that something was in fact wrong with Yang, but as to what that may be, Jaune really has no idea. Despite this, there was no way the leader of Team JWLR would allow himself to lose anymore bond with Ruby or any of his friends anymore. Not after the date, he wouldn't. For the second time that day, Jaune accepted a quest.

Now what was Pyrrha up to?

* * *

Pyrrha did not seem to be having a good time. Well, she was smiling, but it seemed a little forced. Thankfully, the champion was in a much better state than Yang had been- Jaune didn't need _another_ quest on his hands.

She was currently being hounded by what he presumed to be fans, signing autographs instead of playing whatever it was she wanted to play.

"Hey, Penny!" Jaune shouted over the crowd of people.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha looked up from her latest fan when she heard a familiar voice. Seeing her answer to 'Penny,' the crowd looked back to Jaune for an explanation.

"Are you tricking people into thinking your Pyrrha Nikos again? I know your cosplay is fantastic, but I already told you that you couldn't do that!" He answered their looks, making many in the crowd disappointed and some angry.

"What?! Screw you!" A female fan said as she walked away, a sentiment shared by a few other patrons of the game emporium. They all ignored Pyrrha's attempts at an explanation, and soon, they were all gone.

"Why did you do that?" Pyrrha asked her fellow team leader once everyone had departed.

"You didn't seem like you were enjoying yourself, so I helped you out." Jaune explained calmly. "Was I wrong in my assessment?"

"Well, no. But now those people hate me!"

"Actually, they hate 'Penny' who dressed up as Pyrrha Nikos one day. They still love Pyrrha Nikos, whom they've still never met. Meanwhile 'Penny' gets to do what she wants here without being bothered." Pyrrha's somewhat thankful mood turned fully thankful once she listened to Jaune's full explanation.

"Thank you, Jaune. That was very thoughtful of you. But why 'Penny?'" She inquired.

"That's your team name. I figured you'd answer to it more than any other name besides Pyrrha." He explained. Then he held out his arm. "Now, _Penny_ , would you like to go play some air hockey?" Pyrrha grinned.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Pyrrha Nikos  
** **Bond LV: 19/200**

 **[OK]**

"Indeed, I would."

"Actually, I need Jaune right now." The couple of leaders turned around to a familiar voice. There, behind them, with a shot of liquor in her hand, was Yang, waiting somewhat impatiently. "I told him that the date would go badly, but he didn't believe me, so I said once it did, he could buy me drinks as an apology one night. Well, tonight's the night."

"Is this true, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked for confirmation.

"Uhh… I think so? I don't quite remember." Pyrrha's faze hardened at Jaune's response and she turned back to her partner.

"The drinks here are free with the day pass, you don't need him for that." The champion pointed out. "Not that you should be drinking anyway…" The last part she mumbled under her breath, but Jaune couldn't tell if Yang heard as she downed her shot in that same moment.

"Oh, I'm not staying here. This place has a shit stock of alcohol. Now, _let's go_." Yang ordered.

 **You Sense Danger**

 **[OK]**

"Heh heh, sorry Pyrrha." Jaune laughed nervously as he detached his arm from Pyrrha's. "But a promise is a promise."

"Finally, let's go!" Yang suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"Woah!"

* * *

"Give me… Three shots of the hardest stuff you have and a beer for this guy- To start."

"That'll be thirty seven lien."

"…So much for a ranged weapon."

* * *

 **No betas this time. Only because I wanted this chapter out before 2019. Happy Boxing Day, though, to anyone who celebrates.**

 **For anyone wondering why this chapter took so long, I just finished my other story, The Hero. I recommend it to anyone who wants some more of my writing in their life. Also, it's December, and I'm sure we all know how busy this damn month is.**

 **And if anyone is worried that the Yang quest will be as rushed as the Cardin one, don't be. No spoilers, but needless to say that we'll be in for the long haul on that one.**

 **I came up with the whole 'Game Emporium' thing because I really just wanted a new set piece for the characters to interact on. It doesn't have much plot relevance, but RWBY really doesn't have many places to go.**

 **I've changed some stats in the earlier chapters to better fit the story. Just a heads up if something comes up that you hadn't seen previously.**

 **As I've said before, I don't really like putting in Jaune's stats too much because I don't think that should be the point of the story.**

 **But onto reviews.**

 **People liked the last chapter! I'm glad to have finally brought some solace to you all for once. Consider it a Boxing Day gift... Though that chapter came out nearly a month ago...**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	16. Bleeding Beer

"So…" Jaune started off the conversation as Yang downed her third glass of vodka. "What was _that_ all about?"

"I don't want to talk about it." The blonde brawler instantly shut that shit down, leaving Jaune in the dark. And speaking of dark, the club they were in wasn't very well lit, most of the light coming from the flashing dance floor in the middle of the room. Around said dance floor were a few booths to sit at and, of course, the bar in which they were currently located. He decided to try a different angle.

"Are you feeling better now?" The team leader asked.

"…Yeah, I'm feeling better." Yang answered hesitantly.

"Glad to hear it." He commented simply, not pushing the subject. Jaune sipped his beer along with her, and she gave him a suspicious glance.

"Better, but I'd rather not discuss it." Jaune nodded.

"Alright." Yang glared.

" _Good_."

"Yup."

"What are you trying to do, Jaune? I already said I don't want to talk about what happened." The team leader finally looked to her with an eyebrow raised.

"You did, which is why I am not asking you about it." Before she could respond to that, Jaune cut in with another topic. "How are we able to get drinks here, anyway? They haven't asked for my ID once." Yang seemed to want to press the issue, but caved to the new subject.

"My uncle has done some favors for the owner, so they won't ask me or my guests questions- As long as I pay, obviously."

"Hm. Convenient." Silence settled over the pair once more and Jaune dolled out the cash for yet another glass of vodka for his companion. The music blared throughout the club, and Jaune tapped his foot to it. The atmosphere of the club was actually quite enjoyable- He could see why Yang brought them here.

"I brought you with me for more than just paying for my drinks, you know." Yang once again commented, trying to egg something out of the team leader.

"Well, you probably won't tell me what it is, will you?"

"I won't."

"Then there's no reason to talk about it." Jaune ended the conversation on the matter, leaving Yang confused and a little stunned.

"I know you're up to something, Jaune. What is it?" Yang pushed.

"You didn't want to talk about what happened, right?" Jaune inquired.

"Yes…"

"So we won't talk about it. Simple." Despite the lack of coyness in his voice, Yang still gave him a suspicious look. She was right, of course. He was, in fact, 'up to something,' but what could she do if he played dumb? Nothing, really. Jaune was in this for the long game. Clearly, she had something to say- It was simply a matter of waiting for her to say it. Psychiatry one-oh-one, if she comes around, she's trying to solve her problem- even if she doesn't realize it yet.

How did he know that?

"Huh." The brawler shrugged. "Try this and tell me what you think." She suddenly pushed her glass of vodka towards him insistently. Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sure…" The leader took the glass and sipped. The liquid was tough, burning his throat on the way down. Gamer's Mind cancelled this affect within a couple seconds, and Jaune made out fine. "Strong. Not stronger than your uncle's stuff, but definitely strong."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused.

"You told me that you'd only ever had a few beers before, but you took my uncle's brew like a champ, and still now, you can handle eighty proof vodka without a sweat. Did you lie to me?" She accused. He held to his hands.

"No lies, it's just part of my semblance- Sort of…"

"What is you semblance, anyway?" Not wanting to tell the blonde that he was essentially playing a video game of life, Jaune quickly thought of a way out.

"Are you going to answer my questions now?"

"No."

"Then I don't want to talk about it." He echoed with a grin. Yang smirked back.

"Touché." Their drinks clicked, and the night truly began.

* * *

"Haha! That's hilarious!" The progressively more wasted Yang jeered further on into the night, getting a kick out of his subpar pun. Jaune gave her an amused look with a cool head- the game wouldn't allow him to get drunk.

"Sure it was, Yang." He agreed. Thankfully, the more drunk the bomber became, the more she nursed her drink instead of simply downing it, meaning less money spent on his part. Really though, how would he afford to buy a ranged weapon if his funds plummeted like this? Maybe he needed to grind again…

"Jaune, can I kiss you?" The gorgeous blonde asked suddenly, causing him to choke on his beverage.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

"Wha- What? I don't think I heard you correctly." He stuttered, trying to regain his composure.

"Can I kiss you?" She actually, legitimately, repeated. "Just a kiss on the cheek." Thankfully Gamer's Mind has kicked in already, or his brain would be going in a million different directions.

"W- Well, since you currently drunk, I'll have to decline your offer. We wouldn't want you doing anything you could regret in the morning." Yes, he said that. It was the only right thing to do, and anything else would certainly have him dead come morning… Which was _not_ worth it, he kept telling himself.

Yang herself seemed to consider his words with her alcohol addled brain and eventually nodded along with a smile.

"Mm… Smart. Mr. Smartypants over here. Caring. One and a half, maybe. Later. Maybe." With… Whatever _that_ was- a conversation with herself?- silence overcame the two, much awkward than previous silenced beforehand- At least, for Jaune.

"…Can I ask ' _why_?'" He caved with curiosity. His voice was nonchalant, but Yang held a knowing smirk all the while. "I mean, if there's a reason, that is."

"Trying to inflate the ego, Jaune?" The drunk accused, making him blush slightly.

"It's not like you'll remember I asked, anyway. That hangover you'll be getting won't tell you much of anything."

"Nope!"

"Nope? What's that supposed to mean?"

" _Nope_." She pushes. "I remember _everything_ from when I'm drunk. _Everything_." Jaune raised an eyebrow at this, but Yang didn't seem too bothered. "And yeah, I asked to kiss you because you're here, in front of me."

"Heh. Well that's certainly humbling." The leader joked, taking a sip of his beer to hide any further reaction.

"Also as a reward of sorts." His brow scrunched and he put down his drink.

"For what?"

"For being a friend to Ruby." Yang expressed. "She's always had trouble making friends- with everything that's on her plate- and I'm really grateful that you finally made up with her, especially when _she's_ the one being difficult. _So_ … A kiss." The brawler explained her drunken logic with a decent amount of elegance.

"Huh. That's really well thought out for someone who's supposed to be completely drunk." He realized.

"…You're right. Bartender! Another three shots over here! I need to get _wasted_! Woo!"

"Dammit… I walked right into that one."

* * *

"Jaune…"

"What is it Yang?"

"I want to dance. Come dance with me!" Jaune looked over to said dance floor, and subsequently, the people grinding on each other on it. One of the many wonders of alcohol was on display here, a lack of self consciousness, lack of shame.

"Yeah… No. I'm not dancing with you, and you _certainly_ aren't dancing with anyone else." As the night progressed, his role with Yang seemed to transform more and more from drinking companion to babysitter. And Yang noticed as well, now asking his permission before getting another drink or going to the bathroom. Considering her normally dominating personality when- relatively- sober, this was certainly a change in pace.

"Ugh. You're boring!" She groaned, crossing her arms and pouting like a little girl.

"I'm just a man trying not to die." The leader revealed to her simply- Though she didn't seem to be listening.

"Now I'm hungry. Let's go get some waffles! Can we? Can we please?!" Jaune shook his head in amusement at Yang's antics and checked his scroll.

"Well, it is only nine o'clock, so I suppose we could-" He glanced up only to see bright blonde hair exiting out the main doors of the building, leaving a cartoonish Yang sized space of dust in her wake.

"And now we're doing this." The leader of Team JWLR spoke to himself as he quickly paid for the latest drinks and bolted. "Just _great_. Yang?! Get back here!"

* * *

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Jaune to catch back up with his companion as she ended up running around the block in a circle, attempting to give him a scare from behind. It actually worked before Gamer's Mind kicked in, giving Yang a sample of his girly scream- That he totally didn't have!

"Ugh. Yang, do you want waffles or not?" Jaune grunted as he trudged along through the back alleyways of Vale.

"Yeah! Why?" Yang asked, admiring the street art that lined the walls.

"Because I don't think we'll make it when you're on top of me!" The leader said, exasperated. Indeed, the large chested blonde had since gotten tired of walking and decided to hop onto his back. While Gamer's Body did prevent this from putting any strain on his body to hurt him, her weight still weighed him down, causing the pair to move through the alleyway at a snail's pace. When he said he'd play the long game, he didn't think he meant the long game to a _waffle house_!

"So what am I supposed to do?" The huntress genuinely asked. Jaune deadpanned.

"Walk on your own two feet, maybe?" He suggested.

"Feet? Oh yeah! I forgot I have those!" She hopped off of Jaune and instantly fell to the floor. "I forgot how they worked too." With his help, Yang pulled herself up, wobbled, and soon began walking like a normal person. Occasionally, her companion needed to step in to make sure she didn't fall, but other than that, they were finally making decent progress to their goal.

…Of waffles.

"Hey. Where are you two heading?" A rather snivelly voice sounded from the darkness of a connecting alley.

But not for long, of course.

"Yeah, where's a pretty girl like you going with a guy like him? Is he your brother or somethin'?" A deeper much more gravelly voice asked from the darkness as well. Together, two men- short and tall, dark hair and light- emerged from the shadows with a smile on their faces.

"We don't want any trouble." Jaune said immediately, knowing the exercise was futile. He really had nothing to fear from these two- aura being all it is and such- but he really didn't want to deal with beating the snot out of two assholes in an alleyway with only a drunk Yang by his side.

"Trouble? We're just looking to hangout! Take a chill pill, brother." The larger, deeper voice, one stated.

"Awesome! We were heading to waffles, want to come with?" Yang engaged them.

"Well…" Snivels started as they approached closer. Big guy tried to push Jaune out of the way to Yang, but found himself unable to make him move a muscle, so he just ignored him entirely. With the two leering at Yang, Jaune cracked his knuckles- About to do something he'd enjoy as a guilty pleasure. "We were thinking about… having fun, if you catch my drift." He laid a hand on her shoulder, and Yang's response was instant.

"Oh! Like this?" She guessed coyly, coming from below to punch each of them in the- Ouch. Jaune could almost feel that one. Predictably, they dropped like dominos, right on top of each other. Yang frowned. "Wow. You guys are boring. Come on, Jaune. Let's go get me some waffles!" The leader of JWLR smirked a bit, actually entertained by one of her drunken antics.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." While he laughed at what he saw, Jaune did note one key piece of information from that encounter, one that might be the difference between life and death in the future.

Even when shitfaced drunk, Yang could pack one hell of a punch.

* * *

All things considered, Yang didn't actually seem too drunk. She could form complete sentences- though she occasionally babbled incoherently- and when she had a goal, she became certainly determined. Frankly, if he hadn't watched her drink herself half to death and become increasingly more wild because of it, Jaune could be convinced that this was how Yang normally acted. Figures that Yang of all people would be a high functioning drunkard.

And speaking of 'drunkards'… Was Yang an alcoholic? The answer was certainly obvious enough, but that didn't mean the question wasn't worth asking. He had seen her occasionally take swigs from her flask regardless of what time of day it was, and now he had witnessed her use alcohol to fix whatever troubled her enough to almost take a guy's head off. However, the reason he asked such an obvious question was because it led to a much more important- and complicated one.

Was this her problem?

Jaune was not stupid- Clearly, a person shouldn't have a dependence on alcohol, as being an alcoholic is bad- but a little voice in the back of his head lingered, telling him that 'it isn't that simple' and 'alcoholism is usually a symptom, not the problem itself.' Of course, Jaune had no idea _how_ he knew these things, but the logic was sound. The blonde brawler had been hiding things from him, things she seemed to want off her chest. Perhaps his quest to solve Yang's problem wasn't to curb her alcoholism, but rather to fix the root of her tension- what made her turn to drinking in the first place.

Not that he knew for certain, but it was good to have a theory.

"Ya know, you're sorta like Ruby right now." Yang observed, looking him up and down as they each sat in opposite ends of the booth in a waffle shop. "Looking out for me while I have fun."

"That's what friends-"

"Ruby two…" She interrupted his response, starting up one of her babbles again. "Ruby two shoes… Goody two shoes, goody. Goody? I'm gonna call you Goody from now on, Goody."

 **New Nickname Acquired:  
** **[Goody]**

 **Abilities when equipped: +5 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, +10 CHA**

 **[OK]**

"I'd rather you didn't, actually." The leader of Team JWLR insisted, not absolutely in love with his new moniker.

"Well… I guess I could call you 'Lady Killer' instead…" Yang gave the ultimatum. Jaune cringed. "Ya know, because you're friends Weiss and Pyrrha and me and R-"

"Why do I need a nickname, exactly?" He interrupted.

"Because you have to! Now, 'Goody' or 'Lady Killer?'" With that astounding logic, the huntsman in training sighed.

"Goody flows off the tongue better, I think." Goody caved.

"Perfect! Now where's the waitress?" On call, said waitress approached the table.

"Sorry about the wait, honeys. You'd be surprised how many people want waffles at nine thirty at night." The older woman joked, gesturing to the three other people in the store, sitting at the bar and watching the news. "Now what can I get 'cha?" Before the brawler could open her mouth, Jaune placed the order.

"We'll just need a stack for the table and some waters, thank you." He really didn't need Yang having access to _more_ alcohol, so water would have to do. She seemed disappointed at this, but didn't say anything.

"Of course, dearies. And can I just say, you make quite a cute couple." The waitress doted. Goody went to object, but Yang was ready and waiting.

"Actually, he's my sister, Ruby." Both the waitress and Jaune stared at the huntress, but she didn't try to edit her statement whatsoever. Then the older woman looked back at 'Ruby' with an uncertain look.

"Err… Okay then… Your food will be out in a bit." As she hurried away, Goody put his head in his hands and sighed.

"Why did you say that?" He begged for an explanation to the half gone drunk.

"I _said_ you were Ruby Two, didn't I?"

"Ah, right." Jaune nodded, deciding that he could do nothing more than accept the situation. Looking back at his companion, if it wasn't for her dead serious expression, he would be certain that she was just messing with him and simply pretending to be drunk.

"Breaking news!" The TV cried from the bar, attracting everyone's attention. "This just in from our first responders, that the city hall has-" As Yang and Jaune made their way over to the screen, the broadcast suddenly stopped, then soon reappeared with a face that made Jaune chill to the bone.

"H-Hello? Is this thing on? Oh whatever- Hello, beautiful citizens of Vale! I am your local neighborhood thief, the one, the only, Roman Torchwick!" Jaune tensed. "Now, you may be wondering, 'what are you doing on the television, Roman?' Well, it's because I wish to show off my greatest crime yet!" The camera panned over behind him, revealing the tied up bodies of many prominent Vale officials, including the head of domestic services- commonly called the mayor- himself.

"Yes, that is indeed correct, my beautiful compatriots. I, _The_ Roman Torchwick, have taken the mayor- among many others- as a hostage! And if I don't get fifteen million lien from Vale by the end of the night, well… It won't be too pretty for ol' Johnny Politic over here." The man he gestured towards had a gag and was trying to say something, but the camera panned away from him and back to the star of the show. "So… Yeah. See ya!" The broadcast ended, and the regular news returned.

"He needs to be stopped." Yang spouted with seriousness. Jaune just shook his head, trying to regain himself. That man… He was _extremely_ dangerous. Jaune wasn't sure why he was so certain in that fact, but he absolutely was. He _needed_ to stay away from Roman Torchwick.

"Yeah. At least it's not our problem- Dammit Yang! Get back here! This isn't a joke anymore!" Jaune sprinted after a determined Yang.

Right towards city hall.

Right to Roman.

* * *

 **I changed up the look of Junior's club, but it's such a minor thing, I doubt anyone cares.**

 **A much shorter chapter because it's mainly just dialogue. Rest assured, the next chapter will be much bigger to make up for it.**

 **I was originally having trouble writing the chapter when I first approached it, but after deciding to work on a different project for a short time and coming back to this, I was able to complete it. In light of this, expect to see a new project from me coming in the near future, one to take the place of The Hero in the schedule… And the fact I haven't had my computer for a week didn't help this chapter come out any faster either.**

 **If you got 'Nora-Vibes' from Yang this chapter, good. That's exactly what I was going for, wild and crazy.**

 **Thank you for the fountain lingo.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	17. Lighting The Torchwick

City Hall was massive. Not in the same way other buildings were in uptown Vale, with ten or more floors of space, but rather, City Hall was wide. Snuggly located at the virtual center of the city, the main building was only three stories tall. Branching out from the main area were three 'wings' that extended out to nearly touch neighboring buildings if it wasn't for the circular road in their way. The spaces made in between were used as grand entrances, decorated with many statues to impress any foreign ambassadors visiting.

On most days- and nights- the building shone as a, well, beacon to all coming to Vale. Only second to Beacon itself. Tonight, however, the only beacons shining here were the floodlights police helicopters that circled the building. Just as well, the grand entrances ways were covered by police roadblocks, which was just the situation he found Yang in.

"I am a huntress! If you won't go in there to save everyone, then I will!" The blonde beauty cried, trying to push past the lines of police officers guarding the streets.

"Ma'am, I am almost certain you are only a huntress in training, especially when you refuse to give me your ID. How we will rescue the mayor is of none of your concern. Now, I need you to please exit the area. It's not safe here." An officer responded as calmly as he could with a seventeen year old superhero trying to push him around.

"Oh don't give me that! The police force has always been made up of cowards who were rejected from combat school. My uncle told me that and he's a _real_ hunter!"

"If you don't get back now, ma'am, I'll have to use force-"

"Yang, get off the policeman!" Jaune finally caught up to the blonde, pulling her off the man.

"Goody, they're not doing anything though!" She complained to him. "We're huntsmen! We have to do something!" Jaune shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yang. That is _not_ a good idea. Roman Torchwick is dangerous and-" The leader of Team JWLR tried to talk his companion down when suddenly a voice cut him off.

"Hey!" Everyone in the Police blockade turned to the source of the noise, the city hall. Peering out from a crack in the front door, everyone's favorite criminal sprung his head. "Do you have my money yet?"

Completely silence… It must've lasted a good half a minute before someone finally snapped out of their stupor. When they did, they fired a round from their handgun, just barely missing Roman's head. This wake up call prompted all the other officers to join in the attack too, forcing Torchwick to shut the door once more.

And then… Nothing. The police turned back to dealing with the amassing crowd. Not a single officer even went close to the door. Some were even standing around looking bored!

"They really _aren't_ doing anything…" He muttered to himself. We're the cops really as inept as Yang seemed to think? They couldn't be, yet, here he was, watching the lot of them do nothing. Had _he_ been a police officer, he would have seized the advantage of knowing Roman was literally behind the door and blown in off the hinges. Roman, and whatever henchmen he had, would be stunned long enough for the force to take down and the citizenry would be saved.

Instead… Nothing.

"I told you! We need to go save them ourselves." The perpetually drunk friend of his urged. Ugh… Jaune knew things were getting bad when he seemed to be siding with the drunkard. But no. Somehow sneaking into city hall to rescue the mayor and his crew, all while avoiding Roman Torchwick was insane- It wasn't even an option to consider!

 **Quest Available:  
** **Breaking and Entering**

 **Objective One: Find your way into City Hall  
** **Objective Two: Save the hostages**

 **Time: Right Now**

 **Reward: +5 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, +2 Levels, +5 STR, +3 END, +1 CHA**

 **Failure: Death  
** **Failure to accept Quest: -1 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

Fuck. He had to say something, didn't he?

The worst part about this quest, though, was that it wasn't forcing his hand like usual. If the leader of Team JWLR wanted to decline the quest, his only penalty would be losing a bond with Yang, something that he could fairly easily make back. He could accept or he could decline, and for once, the choice was completely his.

The decision was obvious, yet it couldn't have been any harder. He had no chance against someone like Roman Torchwick, so his death was practically guaranteed. Well, he did have Yang… Who was blasted out of her mind right now! But she could still fight…

What was he even thinking? Suicide. This quest was pure and simple suicide. What could a failure of a Beacon Student and an Alcoholic do that the entire police force couldn't?

Save innocent lives, apparently.

Argh! Now he was guilt tripping _himself_! Why couldn't he just reject the quest and be done with it?!

…He had told Pyrrha once that he wanted to help the people who hurt him, who hurt others, and that's why he became a hunter.

The Game called him a liar for it.

But Jaune didn't let that get him down. He knew- deep down- that when push came to shove, he'd be a hero on the front lines, defending those who needed defending just like everyone else. Right?

Well, it was shoving time, baby. And he wasn't about to let some stupid game tell him who he was or wasn't!

"Let's do this." Jaune's eyes narrowed as focused up, the quest accepted. Yang looked at him with surprise, but smiled.

"Glad to have you with me. Now, how are we getting past the police?" The blonde inquired. The team leader looked around the area and his eyes soon landed on a roof located a decent distance from one of the wings of city hall.

"I got an idea…"

* * *

"I'm starting to regret my decision…" Jaune stated as he stood atop a building just across the street from city hall, carrying his blonde companion on his back. He wanted to be a hero, yes, but could he really not come up with a better plan than this?

"Your Semblance must be crazy!" Yang giggled. "How does not getting drunk have anything to do with jumping high? Ooh! I bet it's a 'Super-Body' Semblance! You're able to control certain bodily functions and increase their output, strengthening your muscles to jump really far or increasing the output of your liver to be immune to alcohol! Did I guess it?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"That's pretty interesting, but don't you think if I had that semblance, I'd give myself super strength during my fights in combat class?" He couldn't see her face, but he could tell that she was thinking hard.

"Maybe you haven't figured that out yet. I'm sure you'll do it one day." The team leader wanted to disagree, but she surprisingly had a point. Not on what his semblance was, but on the idea that he could one day give himself super strength. _Could_ he do that?

No response.

Well, it was worth a go. He'd have to come back to that idea at some point though. Also, he was once again befuddled by how Yang's brain worked under the influence. Drunk out of her mind, yet perfectly capable of thinking of a theory on his semblance.

"Are we gonna go now, Goody? Are you enjoying my breasts pressed against you back?" The brawler asked without a hint of seduction or humor in her voice.

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

He was only a man, after all.

"Yeah, sorry. Let's go." Taking a breath, Jaune steeled himself. Then he starting running across the top of the building, gaining speed. Finally, his platform reached its end, and Jaune made a running leap into the air.

The 'Jump' skill kicked in and the pair flew through the sky, much farther than any normal person, right over the police line and into a closed window on the side of city hall. His aura flared to protect him from the shard of glass created and he landed on his feet, perfectly fine. Frankly, he looked badass- If he did say so himself.

Yang hopped off his back and oriented herself. Apparently, she was still affected by the landing. That, or this was a side effect of her being drunk. Regardless, she shook her head and grinned at him.

 **Objective One: Completed  
**

 **[OK]**

"We _have_ to do that again, sometime." She demanded. He rolled his eyes.

"Only one free ride per person." He quipped back at her, causing her to grin even more.

"Well I can p-"

"Who the hell are you guys?" They were suddenly interrupted by a stranger's voice, emanating from the corner of the room. Jaune and Yang looked over to see a dog Faunus, dressed in a white and black outfit and with a white mask on his face. "You're with the police aren't you?! Hey G-!" The Faunus tried to call out for help, but Yang quickly sprung into action, smashing his head into the wall and knocking him out cold.

"Oh yeah. Henchmen. I kinda forgot where we were for a second. Heh." Jaune said with a hint of nervousness, suddenly remembering the stakes of the matter. Quickly, he switched into action. "Someone might've heard us. Get on the side of the door and we'll wait it out."

Yang accepted his order without a word, falling to the left side of the only exit from the room while he took the right. For a few minutes they stood at the vanguard, just waiting for the unlucky soul who would open that door next. That person never came.

"I don't think anyone heard us." Yang guessed, making Jaune furrow his eyebrows.

"We smashed into a window and took out a guard. How could they not hear us?" Taking a chance, he very slightly opened the door and peered out. The next room was nearly identical to the one they were in now, with a few bits of furniture around and some papers strewn on the floor. The only occupant insides was yet another Faunus depressed just the same as the previous one, with the only difference being the headphones he was wearing to jam out to some unknown tunes. "Huh. We really lucked out." Jaune realized.

Taking the attack this time, Jaune barged into the room and hit the man over the head with the hilt of Crocea Mors. Out like a light, the henchman never saw it coming. And damn, did he feel cool after that move! But no, he wouldn't let the rush go to his head. He had a job to do, a dangerous one, and he was going to do it.

"Where's the door?" Yang commented as she entered the room. And indeed, Jaune suddenly realized that there was no other door out of the room. Two rooms, connecting by open door, with no other discernible exits.

"Uh… What?" He asked aloud. Why would a building have two rooms that weren't in any way connected to the main building? "Did we enter the wrong building? How did those guys even get in here?"

"Wait, I think I found it!" The blonde called his attention to the far left corner of the room, where a ladder downwards was found. "Should we enter?" She looked for his guidance.

"Well… There's nowhere else to go…" And together, they entered.

* * *

The building was a _maze_. There was no wonder nobody came when they busted in, nobody would be able to get to them!

The ladder they climbed down led to another room with two doors. Jaune would've figured the room more towards the center of the building would lead them closer to the center of the building, but nope! _That_ room was a dead end with a few more enemies in it. _Instead_ , the right way was to head to the other room, practically regressing in progress, to find that it exited to a narrow hallway that bypasses those last two rooms and brought them to a fourth!

Obviously!

It didn't help, of course, that White Fang were all over the place. Sure, it meant nothing right now in the maze, but they had no idea how far the maze went, or when it would suddenly end.

"Okay… What the _fuck_ is this?" Jaune gestured, unable to contain himself due to the headache he was gaining. All the twists and turns around the building we're starting to mess with him.

What he was referring to, clearly, was the giant metal door blocking their way. The door was bolted shut, with no discernible unlocking mechanism.

"Should I break through the wall?" Yang offered. He was tempted, but Jaune's clear head prevailed.

"No no, that'll be way too much noise. Umm… Those henchmen must've found their way somehow, help me look for a button."

The room they were in, and even the two rooms previous, were turned upside down in their effort to find anyway to open the door. The leader had half a mind to wake up one of the henchmen to interrogate them, but figured the drama wouldn't be worth it. Once he had started analyzing the intricacies of the door for the _fourth time_ , however, he was starting to think otherwise.

"This painting is crooked." The brawler notes, back in the door room. The painting she was referring to was an artist's rendition of an old fashioned key, probably painted with watercolors. It was completely meaningless.

"Yang, we have more important things to be doing." Jaune scolded, not even turning to look at her.

"I'll just fix it." She reached out and righted the painting, causing a noise-

 _ **CLICK!**_

 _ **HSS!**_

Yeah, _that_ noise from behind the wall. Values were heard hissing and mechanical instruments began whirring, and the next thing Jaune knew, the metal door creaked open.

"Are you-!"

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Anger**

 **[OK]**

"-huff… Whatever." Gamer's Mind may have nullified his anger, but Jaune's annoyance remained in high quantities. "Where have we ended up now?"

This new room, unlike the others, was rather packed with furniture. Though strewn around, a couch and table set were visible, along with a few bookshelves, filing cabinets, and one large desk. Overall, the room was much bigger than their previous findings, and Jaune welcomed the chance to get away from that horrible labyrinth.

"The mayor's office." The drunk huntress noted once they made themselves comfortable.

"How do you figure?"

"It says so on the desk." The girl pointed. In a bright golden print, the letters 'MAYOR OF VALE' were embossed on the side of the desk.

"So it does…" Jaune paused. "Wait a second! Why would that mess of rooms have only one exit from behind the mayor's office? That makes no sense!"

"We should look at their secret files!" Yang said without any response to him, a scheming grin on her face.

"We shouldn't-" Jaune went to stop her, but then remembered the maze. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe it'll tell us something important. Or maybe we'll find a map of this damn place…" Yang went off to look through the filing cabinets while the leader of Team JWLR looked over the papers on the desk. Most of it was boring paperwork, but one letter caught his eyes.

" _Dear Mayor Machee,_

 _It is my sworn duty to inform you that I have received urgent news. The notorious criminal, Adam Taurus, has been reported to have fled Vacuo (Most likely due to their new detective-savant). This would not be of any worry if it was not for the fact that we suspect he might be coming to our_ _glorious city. I highly suggest that you up your security detail for the coming times._

 _May the Brothers help us all,_

 _-Chief of Valean Domestic Security Argent"_

Well. Wasn't that ironic? Maybe this 'Adam Taurus' guy has nothing to do with the current hostage negotiation, but the mayor clearly forwent his security upgrade. That, or he got that warning on the exact same _day_ he was taken hostage. Either way, kinda funny.

Wait. No. This was not a funny situation, innocent lives were in danger! He had to get his head in the game!

"Yang, let's get going." Jaune called upon his partner in anti-crime. His voice was hardened and serious, ready for any and all dangers that awaited.

"I got the map!" She announced.

"You did?! Thank the brothers, I can't handle this place anymore!" The map she offered him was an emergency exit map, but it was a full map nonetheless. "This- this place was designed by a madman!" Even with the map, Jaune could barely even get a handle on what he was seeing. There probably wasn't a normal hallway in the entire building! The only regular aspect of the structure was the main entrance, but that soon splintered off into a mess.

And he wasn't even going to _touch_ the extra six pages which detailed the sub levels. He'd probably have a heart attack if he did. Could he even have heart attacks? Questions for another time.

"'Umbrella Corporation.'" Jaune read aloud.

"What's that?" Yang inquired.

"The sons of bitches who designed this place. I'm gonna sue them when I get out of here."

 **Quest Available:  
** **Resident Valean: Revelations**

 **Objective One: Study Law and become a certified lawyer.  
** **Objective Two: Sue Umbrella Corporation for all they're worth.**

 **Reward: As much Lien as Umbrella Corporation is worth, Magic Skill: Necromancy**

 **Failure: Humiliation in a Court of Law  
** **Failure to accept Quest: Nothing**

 **[Accept Quest]  
** **[Decline Quest]**

He declined, obviously. The game sometimes gave him good quests with good rewards, but that was just ridiculous. That skill was probably a joke by the game. And besides, how much was an architecture company really worth anyway? He doubted they had some secret projects in the closet or whatever.

"Alright. It's time to save the mayor!" He cried, renewing his resolution. Yang gave him a 'hell yeah' and the other one gave him a 'So you're here to save the mayor as well?'

Wait. The other one?

"So you're here to save the mayor as well?" The orange haired lady inquired.

"Ah! Yang, attack!"

* * *

On command, Yang lashed out with a super powered punch- Only for the woman to catch it with one hand with even flinching. The brawler was so stunned that she didn't even attempt a second strike, and Jaune wasn't much better.

"That was a very powerful punch. My diagnostics tell me the two of you have aura and are one hundred percent human. This means you are not White Fang. Your appearances and general demeanor also suggest with ninety seven point three four certainty that you are not Roman Torchwick either. Why did you attack if we are not enemies?" The woman rolled off stats like a computer. She had pale skin and green eyes- her bright orange hair reminding him of Nora's. The outfit she wore had a distinct 'military-spy' flair, with it being slim fit seemingly flexible and durable.

"Uhh… We were surprised by you?" The leader of Team JWLR answered, not quite sure what was going on. The woman's face went blank for a split second as she seemingly processes his answer. She released Yang's hand and smiled.

"You were on guard, of course! I am terribly sorry for surprising you, but also abundantly happy to know my backup is of professional quality. Though I wasn't told to expect any backup- Anyway! I am being so rude, what are your names?" Jaune, still having some trouble with this lady's fast speech found himself unable to respond before Yang did.

"I'm Yang, that's Goody. We're here to help from Beacon." The stranger nodded, then looked confused.

"'Goody?'" She turned to him. He rolled his eyes.

"It's not my actual name-" Jaune tried to explain before he was cut off.

"Oh! A _code name_! Don't worry, Agent Goody. I've worked with code names on several occasion."

"Don't you mean _'occasions_ ,' the plural?" He corrected.

"Nope." She responded curtly.

"Huh."

"Oh no!" The woman suddenly cried. "I've forgotten my manners again! Agent Yang, Agent Goody, I am Agent Penny. It'll be a pleasure working with you both." Penny made a curt bow and Yang snorted.

"'Penny?' That's my team name at Beacon."

"Really? Then it must be fate that we meet, Agent Yang." The orange haired girl held out a hand and the blonde huntress shook it.

"Sure." She responded casually.

"Now," Penny moved the conversation along. "I had a plan in mind, but with the two of you now here, I can modify it." At this, she stood silent for a moment and shuddered, making Jaune raise an eyebrow in concern.

"Are you okay?" The Beacon team leader questioned. A few more seconds later and Penny's eyes snapped open and she returned to the land of the living.

"I have a plan." She stated boldly. "The hostages are being kept in a storage area which can only be accessed from the main office which can only be accessed from the main entrance-"

" _Of course_." Jaune spat venom, silently cursing those bastards at Umbrella. Penny continued on unperturbed.

"-so the best plan of action would be to have someone draw Roman Torchwick's main forces away from the entrance while the others snuck in behind them and rescued the hostages."

"How do you know where the hostages are?" He asked.

"I memorized the layout of the building before my mission. The background of the room Roman showed off in his broadcast fit the description of that specific storage room perfectly." She _memorized_ the layout? Jaune shuddered at the though. This girl couldn't possibly be human! "As I am unaware of your true combat abilities, I am afraid I must be the one to make the distraction. I will create a noise near the entrance, but just far away enough that Roman will investigate. When that occurs, you two will have the all clear."

He got to rescue the hostages _and_ didn't have to face Torchwick? Man, this quest was getting easier by the second. There was only one problem he could think of.

"But what if Torchwick doesn't go after your distraction, or makes his henchmen do it?"

"Based on Roman Torchwick's profile and past record, he will send only those he trusts to deal with important tasks- And the only person he trusts is himself. This is a ninety nine point seven four percent certainty."

"Well, I'm down. But don't be surprised if I kick some henchman ass on the way out with the hostages." Yang threw in her two lien. "But I do have one question. How are you going to make the distraction?"

"Oh, leave that to me…" Penny smirked. "Now, if you follow this path," She pointed to their map. "You'll be in the prime position to rush for the hostages. Be safe and good luck, agents!"

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Penny Polendina  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

The agent left Yang and Jaune in a flash. By the time they entered the hallway themselves, she had already disappeared. It was just then that a random thought popped into Jaune's head.

"I should have observed her." And after that, a much bigger thought popped up as well. "I should be observing everybody! This is free experience!"

* * *

With Penny's guidance given, it didn't take too long for the pair of newly minted agents to reach their destination. They encountered a few more faunus henchmen on the way, but there were no problems dealing with them- And he had observed them all. Now, Yang and Jaune waited hidden atop a balcony over the left wall of the entrance. Such was the case with Umbrella Corp. designs, however, there were no stairs leading directly up to said balcony from the main area. While Yang and Jaune could simply jump over the railing when the time came, Roman would have a hard time sending any troops up to them- Should he get the random inclination to do so.

And speaking of Roman Torchwick, the man himself wandered the grand entrance way, putting a pit in the bottom of Jaune's stomach. He was constantly on the phone with someone- though the man spoke quiet enough to not reveal any potential information to the unknown spies- but in his spare moments free, he would be ordering his 'mongrels' around, having them fire a few shots out the windows or otherwise make their continuing presence known to the police. The leader of Team JWLR still could not figure out why the man made him so uneasy, but he tried not to think on it.

"No doubt Torchwick will leave a few henchmen behind to guard the hostages. I'll take on them while you enter the storage area, yeah?" Yang whispered him a plan as they waited. Jaune nodded.

"Sounds good." This plan was getting better and better by the second. Penny would take on Torchwick, Yang would take on the henchmen, and Jaune would untie some politicians! Not that he was afraid of fighting the faunus or anything, but the less time spent fighting, the less of a chance he would _die_. Yeah, he didn't much fear death as he told Cardin, but he wasn't suicidal. No point in taking unnecessary risks when they weren't needed. "Are you still drunk? Or has this whole experience sobered you up yet?"

"Hold that thought." Yang grinned as she pulled out her freshly refilled flask and took a swig. The leader sighed.

"Right-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

The sound echoed throughout the maze of a building, emanating in the exact opposite direction from where they were. A signal if ever there were one, certainly.

"Shit, the cops are entering!" Roman Torchwick assumed. "Neo! Neo, get your ass out here!" His cries were answered by the sound of breaking glass as a familiar woman appeared right behind Roman, making him jump.

"Is that-?" The woman had unforgettable, pink, white, and brown color scheme- Paired with an unforgettable figure to match. Unfortunately, Jaune's musing was cut off by Roman before he could think of anything more.

"Neo! Would you be a dear and lead these pathetic forces of mine to hold off the police for just a little while longer? We're very nearly ready, but our _employer_ still needs a few more minutes." He sneered out the word 'employer,' but otherwise gave Neo a big smile. She returned the smile and nodded, gesturing to a decent amount of the henchmen to follow her. She marched away to the sound of continuing explosions and Roman hurried off to the main office where the hostages were being kept.

"Uhh… That didn't work as planned." Jaune noted the obvious.

"Yup, let's go." Yang responded, already vaulting herself off the balcony.

"Crap! What-" For just a moment, Jaune had an ugly urge. And urge to run from the conflict, from Torchwick. In that split second, the team leader wanted nothing more than to be as far away from the violence as possible.

But it was only a moment. Afterwards, Jaune remembered who he was, who he wanted to be, and what he was _most definitely_ going to do. Without a second more of hesitation to steel himself, Jaune vaulted after his trouble-making friend.

Yang battled with the henchmen while Jaune ran past to a different goal. He downed a few faunus along the way, but the main office door remained a stranger to him no longer. Maybe he could take Roman by surprise, maybe he could knock the criminal down when he wasn't expecting it and knock him out with one good hit to a weak point. He swung open the door, prepared for battle-

Only to be met face to face with the glowing end of a cane.

"Got ya n-" Torchwick's quip died on his lips as recognition flashed in his eyes. "Jaune?"

 **You've gained a Bond with:  
** **Roman Torchwick  
** **Bond LV: 1/200**

 **[OK]**

* * *

"Jaune Arc? Is that really you? What the hell are you doing here?" _The_ Roman Torchwick asked, a sense of familiarity and even friendliness in his voice. He had lowered his weapon and pulled the shocked teen inside the office, closing the door behind him.

"Wha- Bu- Wh-" Jaune babbled out intelligently. Why was this happening? How was this even possible?! Roman continued to smile.

"How's Beacon treating you? You _did_ get in, right?" The criminal inquired. And then Jaune remembered.

When he was rejected from Beacon, he decided to forge his transcripts and apply again. But Jaune Arc barely knew the first _thing_ about fighting, let only _forging_! He needed help. And so, bumbling around with naivety as always, the Beacon hopeful found himself face to face with Roman Torchwick. They had a small chat and eventually Jaune was let on his way, transcripts in his hand and money out of his pockets. The whole exchange was rather pleasant, surprisingly.

And _that's_ why Jaune subconsciously feared Roman so much, dreading to even face the man.

He was the only man who knew of Jaune's crime, of his faked transcripts.

Of course, now Weiss, Pyrrha, and Cardin knew as well, but Jaune had told them because they were his friends. Roman was a big-shot criminal. And with that kind of blackmail power, the man really could have Jaune do whatever he wanted, and Jaune would be powerless to stop it.

"Uh- Ah… Good! B- Beacon's good!" Jaune responded, a stuttering wreck.

"So you _did_ get in! I'm glad to hear it, but not surprised. My transcripts have a one hundred percent guaranteed success rate." The criminal boasted.

"B- But you told me it was eight four percent-" Jaune pointed out, but Roman waved him off.

"Eh, semantics." He assured the teen. "So," He took a seat on one of the couches in the office and gestured for Jaune to do the same. "I'm surprised Beacon would send first year teams into situations like this. I thought the only started throwing the kids into the meat grinder in their _third_ year."

"No- No, I'm not here because of Beacon. I was with a friend, and we were in the area, and-"

"Girl?" Torchwick cut him off.

"Uh… Yes?"

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Roman Torchwick  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"That's my boy!" Roman cackled. "Only a couple months in and you're already slaying women! I knew I saw something of myself in you, that's why I gave you the transcripts, after all." He revealed.

"Oh, no. I'm not actual dating her. I-" Jaune tried to explain the situation, but was cut off again.

"Ah, still having troubles then? Can't say I've been in the same position, but I understand." The criminal mastermind looked wistfully into the corner. "The trick is, ya gotta wait for the right moment. At some point, the stars are gonna align, and you need to be there to seize the opportunity." His eternal smiled turned to a small frown as he stared off. "Of course, sometimes there never _is_ a right moment. She's always got a date, she's always too busy to hang out… But don't let that get you down!" His smile renewed and he turned back to Jaune. "If that right moment never comes, then that means she was never the right one for you to begin with, ya know? Fate and all that crap?"

"Was there… A Mrs. Torchwick?" The leader of Team JWLR asked hesitantly, intrigued by Roman's thoughtful demeanor. The criminal just snorted.

"Oh fuck no!" He laughed. "If there was a _Mrs._ Torchwick, I think I'd shoot myself! Not to mention, Neo would probably kill her regardless."

"Are you involved with Neo?" Jaune continued to question. Torchwick shook his head.

"Nah, she's like a daughter to me or something alike. A sweet, ice cream loving, homicidal daughter." It was now that Jaune remembered the quest he had gotten about a woman exactly like Neo while in the city with Blake and decided to ask more.

"Does she work for you? Like, fight gang wars for you and stuff?" Roman raised an eyebrow.

"Gang wars? Why do you ask?"

"Well, I think she might've helped me out in one-"

"Wait. That was _you_? She told me she was assisted by some Huntsmen in training, but I didn't realize she was talking about _you_!" Roman's grin was in full force now. "I knew you'd be of help to be eventually, that's why I gave you the transcripts after all." He revealed again.

"But you said-"

"Don't look into it, kid." Torchwick advised. And here, a lull in the conversation was met, and Jaune had a chance to remember why exactly he was here. The trademarked sounds of Yang's gauntlets firing helped stimulate his memory.

"Enough with the life advice, Roman." Jaune demanded, standing from the couch and dawning a serious face. The criminal followed his lead. "I'm here to save the hostages, not talk."

"So, what? You're gonna fight me? _Me_?" Roman threatened, his voice becoming sinister.

"I don't want to, but if I have to." The leader of Team JWLR decreed, unsheathing his weapon. Roman continued to glare- and then smiled.

"I'm just messin' with you, kid." The wanted criminal said, causing Jaune to release a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You can have the hostages all you want, I wasn't planning on doing anything with them. But… I think we can come up with something to bolster _both_ our reputations." He explained with a grin.

As he revealed his plan, Jaune took the time to finally observe what he was dealing with here.

 **Name: Roman Torchwick**

Just a name. That meant he was at least over seventy eight levels higher than Jaune was! Thank the brothers he didn't have to actually fight the man!

* * *

And then they were fighting.

Jaune was blasted out the door by Roman's cannon, only saved by the raising of his shield. Torchwick ran out the door and to keep up the pressure smashed down on Jaune's shield again, causing an indentation in the floor.

"Nice acting, kid. It really looks like you're fighting for your life." Roman whispered his encouragement as he released the pressure and went in for a swing to the side. Little did he know that Jaune actually _was_ fighting for his life, barely able to stand the strength of his opponent.

Jaune dodged back from the swing, and rolled away from the next. His survival instincts on max, he simply continued to dodge and dodge until Torchwick stopped swinging.

"You gotta fight back, or else this won't work." He reminded the teen. Jaune gritted his teeth and nodded, ignoring all of his ideas self preservation to swipe at the criminal's side. He blocked the attack, but aside from that did nothing, making Jaune feel a little more comfortable. He struck again, this time at Roman's legs, and the criminal jumped out of the way, throwing his hands out for extra flair.

Now it was the hunter's turn to attack, and things felt so much different. With each blow he led Roman on a ride, directing the very motion of the battle. Is this why people craved strength so much? To have this kind of superiority on the field? Regardless, Jaune was enjoying it, and that was about all that mattered.

What's funny was, Jaune was actually trying his damnedest to hit Roman, not going easy in the slightest even though Roman didn't seem bothered. This inherent inferiority of his didn't quite matter as he was leading the battle, but that was soon about to change.

All of a sudden, Roman not only dodged his slice, but through a bash back at him, causing Jaune to barely duck away in the nick of time. Torchwick took back the battle- as was show business- and Jaune only wished he was as strong as this man before him.

In the meantime, Yang was happily satiating her anger on the hoards of faunus henchmen rushing to engage her. She'd dealt with the initial bunch a while ago, but whatever Penny's distraction was had many of them retreating to the center of the building, where they met the blonde terror in battle.

This perfect balance carried on for a few more minutes, and Jaune was sure that if it wasn't for Gamer's Body, he'd be dead by now. This dynamic shifted with the sound of breaking glass, however. Neo appeared on a balcony above the right wall and suddenly jumped off the edge, just barely escaping a giant green death beam from behind her. Even while retreating, Neo elegantly landed on her feet below. Unfortunately, her feet landed her squarely on Yang's head, who crumbled to the ground instance. Was it the blow that knocked her out? Was it finally the alcohol? No one could say, but she was out cold regardless.

Right behind the wake of this giant green death blast came Agent Penny, backed by a few police officers. At the same time, more police busted through the windows and started engaging the henchmen Yang was no longer fighting.

"Seems like it's the end of the line." Jaune commented, circling with Roman. The criminal smirked.

"Seems like it, doesn't it?" His voice had a humorous tint, but Jaune couldn't for the life of him understand what was so funny. "Neo!" Suddenly, the petite criminal appeared between the two, right as she was called. She winked, blew him a kiss, grabbed Roman, and vanished to breaking glass.

This transaction was surprising in its own right, but what intrigued Jaune more was the paper that Neo blew over to him with her kiss. He caught it out of the air and looked at what it was.

" _Meet me at 7 Verde Lane, in the Valean Industrial District once the cops stop looking. It's important._

 _-Neo"_

* * *

With the two major players out of the game, dealing with the remaining henchmen was easy. Apparently, they were called the 'White Fang,' and the police found it odd that they would be working with a human. Penny had mentioned the name before, but Jaune had simply forgotten.

"As well, a slew of small Dust stores have been robbed while the police were busy with City Hall. I theorize that the hostage negotiation was simply a diversion while those robbers got what they really wanted." Penny reported to him in the aftermath. Yang was laid on a bench as he watched the police come in and out of the building, more and more White Fang being hauled off to jail. With the day saved, the public had dispersed, leaving the streets relatively empty.

"Thanks for the info, Penny. I'll be sure to tell Yang when she wakes up." He responded politely. The orange haired girl gave a slight bow.

"Agent Goody, it was my pleasure to serve with you and Agent Yang. I must take my leave, but I hope to work with you in the future." Jaune rolled his eyes at the nickname, but nodded nonetheless.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Penny Polendina  
** **Bond LV: 2/200**

 **[OK]**

"Same here, Agent Penny. Good luck on your future missions." The team leader played along. The said their goodbyes and Penny walked off, but right before she did, Jaune remembered to observe her.

 **Name: Penny Polendina  
** **LV: 58 EXP: NULL**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-  
** **HP: 5800/5800  
** **AP: 15000/15000**

Huh. Just a bit more powerful than Pyrrha. He wondered who would win in a fight between the two of them. Eh, that would probably never happen.

"Ugh… What hit my head…?" A certain special blonde groaned herself awake.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Jaune greeted. Yang pulled herself up into the sitting position, and Jaune sat down next to her.

"Did we win, Goody?" The leader was caught off guard.

"How do you even remember that?!" He exclaimed. "You must've been drunk beyond measure at that point!" Yang smirked and leaned over to him.

"I told you, Jaune," The lovely huntresses kissed his cheek. "I remember _everything_."

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Yang Xiao-Long  
** **Bond LV: 12/200**

 **[OK]**

 **Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:  
** **Lust**

 **[OK]**

 **Quest Complete:  
** **Breaking and Entering**

 **Objective One Complete: Find your way into City Hall  
** **Objective Two Complete: Save the hostages**

 **Failure Avoided: Death**

 **Reward: +5 Bond with Yang Xiao-Long, +2 Levels, +5 STR, +3 END, +1 CHA**

 **[OK]**

* * *

 **For anyone wondering why I named the Mayor 'Machee,' it's because Machee is really short for 'Mac and Cheese' which is a Crayola color, which sticks with the coloring naming thing established in the show. Don't 'at' me.**

 **Thank you all for the reviews and support, but of course, let me address some criticism.**

 **Yes, in the Dark Souls NGP, you keep all of your equipment and stats along with the increase in difficulty. However, while I made a comparison to Dark Souls' NGP, this New Game Plus is not entirely based on anything. This NGP is my interpretation of the concept, which can really be done anyway. I still wouldn't call Jaune dumb or incompetent, but would the story really be interesting if he simply _remembered_ everything? That would be ridiculous in my opinion. Feel free to write a NGP story like that if you want, but that isn't what you'll get here.**

 **And as for Jaune getting stronger, I won't spoil anything about next chapter except... "Grind".**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	18. The Shadows in The Trees

The Emerald Forest. Simultaneously beautiful in nature while horrifying in contents. The Forest was massive, spanning all the way from the plateau Beacon stood upon to the depths of the untrained countryside beyond. Was it not for Forever Falls, the Emerald Forest might've been Vale's wonder of the world. And Jaune wanted to chop it all down.

Well, not all of it, but certainly the areas that surrounded the city. While Grimm could spawn just as easily in flat plains as they could in the Forest, creating a buffer zone would allow the city defenders to spot Grimm much sooner and dispatch with them just as quickly. Then, they could take all the wood and material gathered and create houses, expanding outside the walls. Jaune had just learned in class- Well, he read about it after catching only a few of Doctor Oobleck's words- about the Mountain Glenn Project, and how its disastrous failure resulted in no more expansion projects for the city.

Certainly, the loss of Mountain Glenn was saddening, but really, it was almost bound to happen. Settlements away from the main cities were by definition unstable. If Vale really wanted to expand, they would need to expand just outside the walls, slowly but surely creating cities that spanned the entire continent.

At least… That's what one of the few legal documents Yang stole from the Mayor's office suggested. Jaune personally agreed with policy, though he couldn't really do anything about it. These were just… Thoughts.

It was nice to finally be able to think clearly again. Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss had been hounding the leader of Team JWLR about the incident with Torchwick ever since he and Yang got back to Beacon. Don't get him wrong, he appreciates their concern and was glad for their friendship, but there were only so many 'are you okay?' questions he could take before he went mad.

Speaking of Torchwick, Jaune's Stats-

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 8 EXP: 436/1600  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 800/800 (+48 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 5000/5000 (+48 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 500/500 (+24 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-**

 **STR: 34  
** **DEX: 19  
** **INT: 25 (23+1+1)  
** **WIS: 24  
** **END: 33 (34-1)  
** **CHA: 22 (19+3)  
** **LCK: 16 (12+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 25**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Equipment-**

 **Right Hand Weapon: [Crocea Mors]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Arc Family Shield]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Money-**

 **Lien: 378  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Bonds-**

 **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 17/200- Considers you a good friend  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 0/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: 5/200- Considers you… A friend?  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 15/200- Sees potential in you  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: -47/200- Will not hesitate to kill you  
** **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 0/200- Perhaps you could be redeemed… Maybe  
** **[Glynda Goodwitch] Bond LV: 6/200- You are a** _ **very**_ **interesting student  
** **[Velvet Scarlatina] Bond LV: 1/200- Sees you as a fellow member of the cause  
** **[Coco Adel] Bond LV: 2/200- Eh. Whatever  
** **[Cardin Winchester] Bond LV: 50/200- The greatest friend ever  
** **[Penny Polendina] Bond LV: 2/200- Sees you as a fellow member of the agency  
** **[Roman Torchwick] Bond LV: 2/200- Sees you as the son he- probably- never had, kinda, not really  
** **[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Gamer Skills-**

 **Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.  
** **Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.**

 **-Basic Skills-**

 **Observe LV: 3- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.  
** **At LV: 3- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 103 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 78 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 53 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 43 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 33 levels. Stats can be seen for people within 13 levels.**

 **Sense danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.**

 **Detect Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to detect a lie.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to detect lie of anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to lie to others.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to lie to anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.**

 **Auto Dodge LV: 2- Allows the Gamer to dodge in coming attacks automatically.  
** **At LV: 2- 55% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies with a lower level than the the Gamer. 30% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies beyond the Gamer's level, within 5 levels. 5% chance to automatically dodge attacks coming from enemies beyond 5 levels above the Gamer.**

 **Craftsmanship LV: 1- Allows The Gamer to create and repair items.  
** **At LV: 1- 0% chance to create an item of [ULTRA] quality. 1% chance to create an item of [GREAT] quality. 10% chance to create an item of [GOOD] quality. 25% chance to create an item of [AVERAGE] quality. 64% chance to create an item of [POOR] quality. Proficiency to repair items increased by +10%.**

 **-Aura Skills-**

 **Aura LV: 1- A general overview of how adept the Gamer is in using Aura.  
** **At LV: 1- The Gamer can learn Category 5 Aura skills and below. Category 0 Aura skills and below are instantly maxed out.**

 **Aura Channeling LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to move aura through their body at will, making it easier to learn new aura skills.  
** **At LV: MAX- -50% difficulty when learning new aura skills and -25% difficulty when leveling them up.**

 **Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.  
** **At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.**

 **-Magic Skills-**

 **Fire LV: 2- Allows the gamer to light things on fire. As simple as that.  
** **At LV: 2- Fire can be created at the price of -45 MP for around five seconds. Within that time, an amount of fire equal to the Gamer's Body volume can be made. If more fire than this is made, the time that the fire can exist falls accordingly.**

 **Elemental Punch LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to enhance their punch with an element of their choosing.  
** **At LV: 1- Damage dealt with Elemental Punch is increased by +50% and has an area explosion effect of 5 Meters. One punch costs -80 MP.**

 **Elemental Kick LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to enhance their kick with an element of their choosing.  
** **At LV: 1- Damage dealt with Elemental Kick is increased by +50% and has an area explosion effect of 5 Meters. One kick costs -80 MP.**

 **Charm LV: 1- Allows the Gamer to link any two people together, having the first person become infatuated with the second.  
** **At LV: 1- Spell duration lasts for 3 hours and boosts a person's bond by +30.**

 **-Stance Skills-**

 **Scythe Stance One LV: MAX- A Complex Stance that is pertinent for scythe combat.  
** **At LV: MAX- The gamer is able to handle any scythe without injury. +20% Physical Damage when wielding a scythe in this stance. +30% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **Aggressive Stance LV: 5- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 5- +5% Physical Damage when wielding a longsword in this stance.**

 **Defensive Stance LV: 5- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.  
** **At LV: 5- +5% bonus Endurance when in this stance.**

 **-Weapon Skills-**

 **Scythe Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5- +5 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.**

 **Longsword Proficiency LV: 8- Increases the skill the gamer has with long sword-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 8- +8 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.**

 **Light Shield Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.  
** **At LV: 5- +5 Defense when using shield-like weapons.**

-were entirely too low. Ever since he arrived at Beacon, Jaune had been coasting along by the skin of his teeth, just barely surviving the trials he faced. That _had_ to change. Not just for himself, but for the sake of his friends as well. The team leader had heard a rumor that they would be starting actual missions soon. What was he supposed to do then? When not only his team but innocent lives counted on him?

No doubt about it, he'd lucked out with Torchwick. After feeling his 'pretend' punches, Jaune knew for a _fact_ that he would've been killed, had he actually fought the criminal mastermind. Sure, he could dispatch the henchmen with the best of them, but the 'bosses?' Well, he had a better chance of defeating Pyrrha in combat than defeating them.

And that's why he was here in front of the Emerald Forest, to finally, well and truly, grind. The leader of Team JWLR had light experience in grinding with Ren, Blake, and Nora that one time. But that wasn't enough, too much experience lost to the others. This time, it was all him.

Armed with a sword and shield, Jaune marched into the forest under the morning's sun, never noticing the amber eyes following his movement every step of the way.

* * *

 **Name: Anthony  
** **LV: 7 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Senator  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 700/700  
** **[OK]**

 **Name: Diane  
** **LV: 9 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Judge  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 900/900  
** **[OK]**

 **Skill Leveled Up!  
** **Observe LV: 4  
** **[OK]**

Well that took a while. Jaune had been fighting low level Grimm for about forty five minutes, and only now had Observe increased in level. The Game hadn't been kidding when it said that it would be harder to level up. Regardless, the skill had increased, which was good new on its own. Pair that with the fact that Jaune had been making easy money and leveling experience the entire time, and the team leader was actually having a good time. What a stark contrast to just a few months ago, when he could barely hold his own against a single Beowulf. Ahh… _Progress_.

Oh yeah, he was fighting.

Jaune just barely dodged out of the way of Anthony's lunge, having to roll under the next consecutive attack from Diane. Jaune quickly came to his feet and went on the offensive. The Beowulves, being the predators they were, did not actually expect this move, and were unprepared for when Jaune made his strike.

Just like that, Diane was decapitated, leaving poor Anthony all alone. The Grimm charged- presumably in anger- at the Hunter, but to no avail. It slammed into Jaune's shield and came to a sudden stop, perfectly allowing Jaune to drive his sword through the Beowulf's back and into the ground. It turned to dust soon after.

More money, more experience, no problems.

Something he noticed while fighting, though, was unlike his first experience grinding, there was no 'wave' system in place currently. Instead, the team leader simply wandered through the forest, seeking out Grimm or letting Grimm seek out him. Perhaps he needed a group to activate the system; he wouldn't know for sure.

As Jaune walked on, the trees began to part and he eventually reached yet another clearing. This time, however, it wasn't so much a clearing as it was a cliff- The cliff he was launched from during initiation. And of course, that meant this cliff overlooked a giant ravine. Sure he would survive the fall, but it would be one hell of a climb back up, so he would just be careful instead.

Two more Beowulves were in the vicinity, though they didn't seem to be on the hunt. Instead, the pair was simply laying down on the cliff side, admiring the view. If they weren't all human-killing monsters, the leader of Team JWLR might've actually found the scene cute.

 **Name: Yanny  
** **LV: 6 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Senator  
** **Race: Basic Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 600/600  
** **[OK]**

 **Name: Laurel  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Judge  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 1000/1000  
** **[OK]**

Silently, Jaune snuck up on the Democratically Elected Leader, intent on killing the beast in one critical blow. And at odds with his previous battles, he was able to accomplish the goal of sneakiness. Raising his sword arm up, the leader thrusted downwards with all his might, lodging the blade in the ground, the Beowulf stuck with it.

 **Name: Laurel  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Judge  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 657/1000  
** **[OK]**

Crap. In an ideal scenario, Laurel would have died in one hit, allowing Jaune to easily maneuver his blade to attack Yanny before it could react. Instead, his sword was stuck in a Beowulf stuck in the ground, and growling was distinctly heard.

Jaune was unable to react before the second Beowulf pounced on him and he fell backwards. He tried to bring his shield up, but was too late. The beast bit into his sword arm, forcing him to let go of Crocea Mors. His aura took the bite fairly well, but even as he smashed the beast's side with his shield, it was not letting him up. In his peripheral, Jaune witnessed the wounded Beowulf wretch itself up and begin to stumble around to his face.

Under normal circumstances, a lesser man might have panicked in this situation, but not the 'J' of Team JWLR. He had something no one else did, Magic! Focusing on his arm, Jaune reached inside himself to summon a fire that-

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

No need for the fire, both Grimm were now dead. Jaune's weapon clattered to the ground as the Beowulf was dusted away. He quickly scooped it up and turned to meet his savior.

"Oh! Umm… Hey Blake." He said, dusting himself off like he hadn't just been tackled to the ground by a Beowulf. "Long time no see-"

"You did what I said." The dark haired huntress interrupted, sheathing her weapon. They weren't exactly on good terms, so Jaune was certainly happy to hear her voice again. "Actions, not words."

"What do you mean?" He inquired further, taking a hesitant step closer to his former friend.

"You helped save those hostages in City Hall. You even fought Roman Torchwick himself. Which was _stupid_ ," Blake revealed, making Jaune frown. "But brave… Certainly brave." She continued, reviving Jaune's smile.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 1/200  
** **[OK]**

"So does this mean we're friends again-"

"What are you doing out here?" The faunus-rights activist continued to ignore him.

"I'm training." Jaune explained before he thought of something. "You know, 'actions over words' and all that." Blake smirked at that, but then looked past him to the grand view beyond. The huntress stepped by him and Jaune turned to see the view with her.

Gorgeous. And not just the forest. The early morning sun reflected off his companion's pale skin and lustrous hair, making her shine in the sunlight. The shadows that normally covered her face were torn away, and for a brief moment, Blake seemed truly happy. No longer did she seem to carry the weight of the world on her back and-

That all ended when she frowned, the shadows returning once more.

"Jaune…" She started cautiously. "I need to know the truth."

"Of course, what about?"

"The police report stated that Roman Torchwick was using White Fang as his henchmen. Is it true?" The huntsman saw her fists tighten as she prepared herself for the answer. He subconsciously took a step back.

"…Yes, it's true." He broke the news to silence.

 **-2 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: -1/200  
** **[OK]**

"Liar!" Blake lashed out, losing her temper, she spun around back to him. "You're a dirty liar!" Her eyes were full of fury, making the team leader flinch.

"B- Blake, I'm not lying! You can ask Yang too, they were there!"

"No! I refuse to believe this!" She shouted. "You're all just trying to make Faunus look bad, trying to forcefully take back years of achievement in equality! The White Fang would never work with a human, let alone someone as vile as Roman Torchwick!" She continued on, but her voice was starting to break, hints of desperation showing through the anger. "They _hate_ humans. They _have to_ hate humans! Or else it was all for nothing! Leaving Adam, for nothing! I… I can't believe that…" Blake wasn't crying, but her eyes certainly held water. Despite this, Jaune couldn't help looking for some answers.

"Adam?" He asked. Before she could answer, however, a Beowulf came bounding out of the forest behind him. Instead of attacking him, though, the Grimm went for the Beacon of negative emotion, Blake.

The trained killer she was, Blake easily got over her emotion, stepping back and unleashing the power of her weapon. The two halves of the grimm collided with the ground on either side of the huntress, leaving completely unscathed. The same could not be said for the ground she stood upon…

"Blake!" Jaune cried out. Buckling under the sudden force exerted, combined with the weight of the Beowulf and Blake, cracks instantly splinted through the ground. And before either hunter-in-training could react, the 'B' of Team PBNY was falling, _quickly_.

Instantly, Jaune ran over to the side of the cliff where she fell and time seemed to pause. Frozen in time, Blake was in the air below him, looking upwards with shock on her face, her hand extended outward. Part of him- the part who worried for his friend- wanted to immediately jump after her. He had the 'Jump' skill, meaning if he caught up to her in the air, he could prevent any possible hurt when they landed. From there, Jaune and Blake could fight their way through the Emerald Forest together and arrive back to Beacon in no time.

Another part of him- the part more realistic and cautious- knew she would be fine. She'd been launched into the sky during initiation just as he had. She was _stronger_ than he was. If he jumped after her, he might just be slowing her down. So if he just let her fall and walked back to Beacon, Jaune would probably see her back at school.

Probably…

He was in the same position that he was in before going to face Roman, but this time, there was no Quest to guide his hand. The choice was entirely in his hands. And the team leader needed to make the decision _right now_.

And so, despite himself and his reasoning, Jaune made his choice. Sure, Blake was stronger than he was, but he'd feel terrible if anything happened to her while she was in the Forest. Of course, there was only one way to make sure nothing happened.

Jaune jumped after her.

* * *

After launching himself off the cliff, the leader of Team JWLR caught up to Blake quite quickly. Together, they used Blake's gun to angle themselves away from the ravine and made a rather successful landing. The Faunus-Rights Activist questioned him as to how he was able to achieve such a landing, but Jaune passed it off as his semblance and that was the end of it. Reorienting themselves, the pair started on their way back to the school in silence.

"So… How have you been?" Jaune tried to start the conversation but cringed at his ineptitude.

"Fine." Blake replied tersely.

"Good, Good…" He trailed off, allowing the awkward silence to settle back in. "How have classes been? Fight anyone recently?"

"Jaune, we both have the exact same classes. You've seen all my fights."

"Right, of course!" He backtracked. "I was cheering for you the entire time."

"Even during my second fight against Weiss?" Blake challenged, causing Jaune to open his mouth but then close it. If he said yes, that meant he hadn't been cheering for Weiss, which- despite her claims that she didn't care for his support- might have her angry at him. But if he said no, that would mean he had just lied to Blake's face, and he wasn't sure how she would take that.

Instead, he said nothing.

"Thought so." She declared regardless of his silence. "Well, it doesn't matter. I still won." The 'B' of Team PBNY smirked at the memory. Indeed she had, as another brutal fight with the Heiress ended with her the victor.

"You enjoy fighting Weiss?" Jaune asked, capitalizing on her smirk.

"I suppose you could say that." Blake relented. "I just hate those people who act like their better than everyone else." The slight against Weiss was obvious, but Jaune chose to ignore it. While the Heiress had made big changes, he couldn't deny that she had certainly come off as 'holier-than-thou' during their first weeks together.

"Is that why you do the superhero thing?" He referenced cautiously. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"'Superhero thing?'"

"Yeah, you know. When you wear that black jacket, go out into Vale, and fight the injustices of the city."

"Oh. _That_ 'superhero thing.'" She acknowledged, giving him the okay to continue.

"You said you wanted people to be equal. Is it because you don't like people who act better than you?"

"You have it mixed up. It's not that I don't want people to act better than me so I want everyone to be equal, it's that I want everyone to be equal so I don't want them to act better than everyone else."

"Oh." Jaune recognized the difference. "So why _do_ you want everyone to be equal?" Blake stopped in her tracks and turned around to glare at him.

"Are you saying they _shouldn't_ be?" Jaune raised his hands in surrender.

"No, not at all. I'm just not the one risking my life to fight for it." She was still glaring, so he admitted the truth. "I think it's great that your fighting for equality! That takes bravery, and it's one of the traits I admire about you the most."

 **Gamer's Mind has Nullified the Status Effect:  
** **Embarrassment  
** **[OK]**

"I was simply wondering how you got to be like that- So dedicated to the cause, I mean." He explained. Suddenly, Blake's anger went away and a look of hesitance replaced it.

"…Do you remember when I told you that I joined that Faunus right's group? Well, I didn't join it alone. There was another- a friend- who pushed me to look to achieve more than just the status quo." Yet again, she seemed reluctant to continue. "His name was-"

 _ **RAWR!**_

Whatever she was about to say was stopped by the announcement of a pack of Ursai surrounding them. Jaune has mainly fought Beowulves in the Emerald Forest so far, and had felt fairly confident while doing so. He supposed it was time to put his money where his mouth was and show these monster bears what he _really_ could do.

"And she was just opening up." Jaune lamented to himself, grabbing Crocea Mors off his belt. He and Blake instinctually went back to back, and the team leader took a count. "Five total, I'll take these two, you got those three?"

"Done." Blake confirmed, running to engage her assigned targets. Jaune did the same, but remembered to Observe his enemies before attacking.

 **Name: Josef  
** **LV: 15 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Commissar  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 2000/2000  
** **[OK]**

 **Name: Nikita  
** **LV: 16 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Commissar  
** **Race: Moderate Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 2100/2100  
** **[OK]**

They were just as bulky as he remembered them to be. Beowulves had speed, but they were flimsy. Hopefully, it was the other way around with these two. Jaune remembered facing off against the Ursa Major with Blake the _last_ time he grinded in the Emerald Forest, and that thing certainly didn't lack in speed. It was an Ursa _Major_ however, so perhaps the battle would go differently.

Not taking any chances, Jaune started off the skirmish by immediately attacking the one closest to him- Josef- with a Fire Punch. Without even going all out, as the Team Leader had been practicing restraint with the move to conserve magic, Josef was blasted backwards into the woods, and a one on one battle with Nikita began.

The bear Grimm swiped both paws downwards, knocking up the earth Jaune had been previously standing on. The Team Leader swiped the beast's front paws with his blade and instantly moved to the right, expecting another attack. As predicted, the attack came, and Jaune was already out of the way enough to get a slash off on the Grimm's hind.

New to Jaune was the fact that Ursa had one hell of a back kick. Nikita instinctively squared a hit directly to Jaune's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Gamer's Body kicked in immediately afterwards, but not fast enough to prevent the Ursa from turning around and knocking him to the ground. Thinking it's prey was still stunned, the hulking monster dropped down onto the hunter-in-training, preparing to mawl him to death.

The Ursa was instead met with the tip of Crocea Mors, poking out of the back of its neck. Using some force, the Gamer wretched his blade to the side, further opening the wound and causing Grimm blood to splatter down on him. Nikita faded to dust quite soon after, and Jaune collected the rewards with pleasure.

Jaune stood back up just as Josef arrived for seconds. The Grimm was already fairly weakened from the Leader of Team JWLR's elemental punch, but it still had some fight left in it. Josef gave a roar and charged while Jaune remembered the position of his sword stance and molded into it.

Just when Josef was only two or three feet away, Jaune jumped in the air- higher than the average person could jump, but not too high. He then came down with a righteous fury, slamming Crocea Mors into the Ursa's back with the force of his entire body combined with gravity. The result was yet another shikabobbed Grimm, which faded away to give Jaune is reward.

"You've gotten much better with Grimm." Blake commented from behind. Was that pride in her voice? It was too hard to tell.

"Practice makes perfect. That _is_ why I was out here, after all." Jaune turned around. Unlike him, the Faunus Activist seemed to have completed her task without a scratch. "Wait… Were you watching me?" Had she really killed her three Grimm that quickly? Well, now _that_ put him in his place.

"Only long enough to see you kill the last Ursa, so don't feel too bad." Blake assured, moving to continue their journey to Beacon. Huh. Maybe he was getting better after all.

* * *

Silence fell once more on the pair, but this time, it was a comfortable silence. Aside from the occasional Beowulf, Jaune almost felt that he was on a nice peaceful walk with his friend. Of course, Blake had yet to declare that they were friends again, so he couldn't be too sure.

"Do you have any siblings?" The Team Leader inquired. He didn't want to ask her outright, considering she'd ignored him that last time he did, but maybe if he got her talking again, she's accidentally reveal her feelings on the matter.

"No, only child. You?" Blake responded casually. _Casually_? Surely this meant they were friends again, right? Blake was never casual!

"I…" He- Why didn't he know this? Ugh. Forcing the fuzzy memories aside, Jaune retrieved his answer with great difficulty. "Seven! I had seven sisters." He announced.

"I'm sorry. May I ask their names?" Blake asked softly. Jaune didn't notice.

"Sure. They were…" Once more, the team leader concentrated on his memories, but found nothing in response. Why was this so difficult for him? "Uh… Saphron! And…" Despite that one name, the rest did not come rolling back to him. "I don't remember. Sorry, it's been a while." Indeed it had been a while, maybe he should call them when he got back to Beacon.

"Of course, that's no problem." The Huntress replied as if she was consoling a victim of a crime.

"Yeah… Oh! You were saying about your friend before?" Jaune suddenly remembered their previous conversation.

"Right, that." Blake also recalled. "Well-" Once more, nature stepped in and the Faunus-Rights activist was cut off.

 _ **HSS!**_

An insidious and guttural hiss sounded from the wood just up ahead of them. The pair was getting closer to Beacon, but that didn't mean they were in the clear just yet. With the way the forest was laid out, the lightest areas were immediately next to Beacon- where he had been training- and the contained region of the initiation. I'm having to walk all the way from there to Beacon, the hunter Team was actually venturing into more dangerous territories with ever step.

Such was the reason a Giant Deathstalker made itself known to them by literally bashing trees away from it like flies.

 **Name: Leroy  
** **LV: 35 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Second Boss  
** **Race: Advanced Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 3500/3500  
** **[OK]**

The thing about Deathstalkers was that they didn't actually have much health. Only a thousand more than a regular ursa? No problem. The problem came in two fold. First, their armour. Even more so than an Ursa Major, nearly the entirety of the Deathstalker has armour on it- notable exception being the eyes and the stinger attachment. Second, their power. Get caught in its claws? Dead. Get impaled by the stinger? Dead. With this beast, there was no room for error. At least, not for someone as weak as Jaune.

"What's the plan?" Blake asked quickly, drawing her weapon.

Last time Jaune had faced a Deathstalker, he had been backed by three other Hunters out in the open. On top of that, he had been fighting on a bridge, which was the ultimate downfall of the creature. Now, he had one other Hunter with him and was about to fight in a very cramped space- relatively speaking.

"Run!" The Leader of Team JWLR supplied his insightful wisdom and battle tactics, grabbing Blake's hand and taking off in a sprint.

The Grimm roared- or whatever the Deathstalker equivalent was- and charged after them. The hunt had begun.

* * *

The chase was intense but ultimately uneventful. Regardless of the ability to knock down trees, Leroy simply could not match the speed of the Hunters in training- especially when one of those hunters had infinite stamina. After losing the beast, Blake and Jaune still ran a while longer to put distance between them. When they arrived at one of those rare open clearings, they finally took a break.

"Huff… Thankfully that's over." Blake commented, trying to hide the fact that she was out of breath. Thankfully, they had ran parallel to Beacon, and hadn't gotten any farther away.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, it seems. We've got Beowulves." Jaune turned her attention to the perimeter of the clearing where said Grimm started to show themselves. He was no less tired than he had been before running, but it seemed that his health and aura didn't regenerate when he was doing physical activities.

 **New Feature: Regen Ability  
** **Yet another feature that was there the entire time, waiting to screw you over. Nice spotting, though. Knowing is half the battle.  
** **Adds: Health, Aura, and Magic do not regenerate while in a physical exertion scenario. When exiting this scenario, the regeneration will scale gradually back to full capacity after an hour.  
** **[OK]**

Yeah, that pop up should have come far early, if he was being honest. Taking a look at his health-

 **HP: 800/800 (+48 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 3544/5000 (+48 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 419/500 (+24 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

-if he actually regained health at the stated rate, he would've been fully recovered during the time he ran away from the Deathstalker.

"Fine. How many are there?" The Huntress regained herself. Jaune made a scan.

"…Too many." He spoke honestly. The entire circumference of the clearing had the Grimm lurking in the trees, and Jaune could see the glowing red eyes of many more beyond them. No running, but the team leader wasn't sure of their fighting chances either.

"They're just Beowulves. We can take them." Blake assured with the confidence that only a Huntress had. She moved to be at his back. Jaune wasn't so sure, but the choice was fighting or death, so…

"I suppose, but…" Something was off here, and Jaune couldn't put his finger on it. "Why aren't they attacking?" Indeed, the plethora of Beowulves that surrounded them continued to growl, but not one made any move closer. That was, until the pack went silent, parted and something far worse emerged.

 _ **GRRR!**_

The beast was shaped like a Beowulf, but it's mass made it far larger than even the ursai they had been fighting previously. It's body was covered in plates of armour, and it's mere step left a deep indent in the ground. The beast's growl sent shivers down Jaune's spine, and even Blake turned to meet it.

 **Name: Gary**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 7500/7500  
** **[OK]**

"Gary?" The Leader of Team JWLR spoke aloud, a vague sense of memory in his tone. And it seemed Gary felt the same way, as the massive Beowulf stopped growling as soon as he spoke, turning its head seemingly in curiousity or recognition.

"What are you talking about?" Blake whispered furiously.

"It's name. It's name is Gary." Jaune regarded her, refusing to break eye contact with the Grimm. During this contact, the Hunter felt a twinge of something in the back of his mind- something akin to pain. Still, he continued his stare in the fear of anything worse happening.

"Name? It's a Grimm! It doesn't have a name!" The Faunus-Rights Activist said louder, perhaps forgetting the situation she was in. Almost as if the Grimm _knew_ what she was saying, the Beowulves on the perimeter started growling again.

"Blake, don't antagonize them." Jaune warned, continuing to maintain eye contact.

"Antagonize them?! They're _Grimm_ , Jaune! They don't fe-!" The black haired huntress was prevented from speaking further by her companion's hand slapped onto her mouth.

"Kill me later if you want, but right now, _be quiet_." The team leader finally turned to her, acknowledging the future consequences of his action from the deadly look in her eye. She still looked at him furiously, but nodded her consent nonetheless.

Back to Gary, the giant Beowulf extended a claw and made a line in the dirt, then another curved line coming off of it. The shape was basic, but still distinct enough to jog Jaune's memory.

"The scythe." He realized. "You want me to make you more powerful with the scythe." To Blake's disbelief, the Grimm seemed to nod. "I don't have it with me right now, but if you let us go in peace, I can bring it here the next time I enter the forest. Deal?" Jaune could feel how badly the huntress next to him wanted to scold him for trying to make dealings with a Beowulf, but she kept quiet as asked.

Gary kept still for a moment, possibly considering the offer, then turned towards Beacon and let out a bark. The commanding sound made the much smaller Beowulves in that direction part, allowing a clear path for the hunters.

It was a deal.

As the pair cautiously walked out of the clearing towards their original destination. Before they got away, however, yet another commanding bark drew Jaune's attention back. The entire pack, with Gary at the head, stood before them, growling. Gary made no noise, but the eyes that pierced Jaune's soul said it all. 'You better hold to your deal, or _else_.'

Jaune tried to maintain his cool as they walked away, but once the growling was out of earshot, he booked it, Blake right on his heels.

* * *

"What. Was. That?!" The 'B' of Team PBNY confronted him when they finally arrived at another clearing to rest.

"Genuinely, I have no idea." Jaune admitted honestly. He had recognized the Grimm, yes, but talking to it? That was a total shot in the dark.

"You were communicating with all those Beowulves!" It wasn't a question, but he felt the need to respond anyway.

"Not _all_ of them. Only the one I knew." Yeah… Judging by Blake's expression, that was the _worst_ answer he could have given.

"And how! Do you know! A Grimm?!" Jaune flinched.

"I don't suppose you'd be happy if I told you I met it during initiation, would you?" Blake gave the huntsman a complex look- a mix of shock, disbelief, anger, and complete exasperation all rolled into one. For the sake of her sanity, she chose to move on.

"Fine. Then what was that about a 'scythe?' Why did you promise to bring one back here?"

"That I _can_ answer." Jaune joked, though the humor teetered our fast under his companion's deadly gaze. "Uh, yeah. You know the black scythe I have?"

"The one you barely use anymore?"

"Yeah. Well, I stopped using it for a reason. It's two special properties make it impractical for the combat situations that I normally find myself in as a Beacon student."

"Like what?"

"Well, I cant use it for combat class because the scythe ignores people's aura and disables their semblance with a touch." The Faunus Activist gave him that same look. "It's true! You can ask Weiss if you don't believe me."

"Alright, day I believe you. _How_?" That… Was a good question, actually. One that Jaune had neglected to consider.

"Magic, probably. Sort of like aura." He answered with as much truth as he could. The blade didn't have any properties inherently related to his magic stat, but they both had a similar vibe, if that made any sense. And if Magic was he counter to aura, that diagnosis made all the more sense.

"Aura isn't Magic, Jaune. Aura is quantifiable, predictable. It's only 'magic' to those who don't understand." Blake felt the need to chastise.

"Well, I don't understand how my scythe works, so there." Jaune rebutted. Blake opened her mouth to reply, but found that she didn't actually have anything to say on the topic. Instead, she moved.

"Whatever. What's the other property, then?"

"Oh, whenever it cuts Grimm, it makes them stronger."

"Are you fucking-?!" The Faunus Activist was cut off by an all too familiar hiss.

 _ **HSS!**_

Yeah, that. The pair suddenly realized the lack of their perception to the outside world during their discussion. Turning toward the noise showed them the result of their mistake.

The Deathstalker, Leroy, made his presence known with yet another boss- This one seemed to be an 'are you two done yet?' hiss, but what did Jaune know about talking to Grimm? The two hunters looked at each other and non verbally decided to follow up on their previous course of action. Turning right around from the gigantic beast, Jaune and Blake turned to run away once more-

Only to be stopped by the miscellaneous ring of Grimm posed on the border of the clearing.

"No escape." The Leader of Team JWLR commented. "It's a cage match." He realized.

"Oh, did the Grimm tell you that too?" She mocked, gaining her serious face right after. They turned around yet again, engaging battle stances. "Tell me you have an actual plan now."

"Uhh…" Jaune's Brain was working overtime. "Yes! Yes, I got one. You-" Apparently, Leroy had grown tired of waiting. The Deathstalker surged forward and both Huntsmen dodged to the side- opposite sides.

Around a third of the clearing was taken up by the Grimm, creating a rather tight field to work in. This was both to their advantage and their detriment. There was less room to dodge, both for them _and_ the Grimm. Regardless, they were in the battle now and would have to deal with the cards they were dealt.

Jaune immediately seized the opportunity to get in some damage, slicing at Leroy's many legs. Whatever Blake was doing on her side wasn't enough, though, as the Grimm's giant stinger focused on him. The hunter just barely jumped out of the way as the appendage punctured the ground he'd previously been standing on, causing dirt to kick up in the air.

Leroy then did something unexpected. Keeping the stinger stuck in the ground, the Grimm leveraged its lower body off the ground. Then, with a sudden jerk, the beast spun- landing so that the stinger directly faced Jaune while Blake presumably got the claws. The Team Leader was unaware this motion could even be done by Deathstalkers, yet there he was, fencing the bent back orange stinger.

After a few moments of this intense tail dodging, Leroy's bent back into place as he started to aim solely at Blake's side- clearly figuring out the real threat of the pair- leaving Jaune on his own. Was he offended? Slightly. Was he going to use this to his advantage? Absolutely. While the beast distracted itself with the 'real threat,' Jaune was able to move into position unperturbed.

The movement of the Deathstalker as it shuffled to and fro on those spindly legs was rather unsettling from base emotional sense. So, Jaune decided to rectify the situation. Summoning the power within, the Hunter elemental punched one of Leroy's back legs clean off. Well, he said 'clean,' but blood- or the Grimm equivalent- immediately started gushing from the wound. The boss let out a cry of pain.

 **Name: Leroy  
** **LV: 35 EXP: NULL**

 **Title: The Second Boss  
** **Race: Advanced Grimm**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **HP: 2367/3500  
** **[OK]**

Jaune didn't know how much of that was him, but damn did he feel like a badass regardless. And now he-

 _ **SHINK!**_

 _ **"HRK!"**_

The Leader of Team JWLR opened his mouth, but only succeeded in coughing up blood. Gamer's Body didn't activate because there was no pain to be taken away. Instead, Jaune simply felt an emptiness as he gazed down to the orange stinger poking out of his stomach.

How did it-? What-? But he wasn't even that low on aura!

 **HP: 28/800 (+48 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 0/5000 (+48 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 226/500 (+24 MP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **[OK]**

It was gone! How was it all gone?! He'd only fought a few Grimm today, not nearly enough to lose all his aura. That, and then he'd seen Gary-

 _Gary_. That pain he felt when staring the Beowulf in the eye… Had he been drained of his aura? Possibly, but it was a question for another time- considering the hole that had just been punctured through his gut.

And speaking of 'punctured through his chest,' Leroy wanted its stinger again and pulled it out of his back.

"Hng!" Jaune gargled as the removal was completed and he fell to the floor, landing on his back. Life… Was draining away. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but the feeling was certainly there.

And then, everything paused. The draining of life feeling was still present, but wasn't getting any worse. On top of that, the Hunter could see in his peripheral vision that the Deathstalker had seemingly stopped moving as well.

Oh, and the sun disappeared. That was probably an important part too.

"No…" A familiar voice spoke.

"Wha-?" Jaune barely got out, the rest of his thought lost to the gargle.

"This is not your time. You can't die yet." The voice spoke again. There was no denying it this time. That was… _His_ voice. And yet, he could speak. What was going on?

"Who-?" The Team Leader tried- and failed- again.

"I'm gonna give you a skill, and you need to use it immediately. I'm not sure how long it will be stable, but wait too long and the skill will be lost." As his voice- but not _his_ voice- explained, a pop up appeared.

 **You have been gifted a Magic Skill!  
** **[Death Brink]  
** **Would you like to use it?  
** **[YES] [NO]**

"Thank-" Jaune tried, regardless of knowing the incomplete outcome.

"Oh, uh… Yeah. Just remember. Your conscience is always looking out for you." The sun reappeared and the feel of death came rushing back to him. Jaune summoned his remaining strength to reach out and smash 'Yes,' allowing the skill to do the rest of the work.

Immediately, vitality surged through his body, restoring his ability to move and finally triggering Gamer's Body. He felt the hole in his stomach seal up, and his strength was returned. But more than that, he felt _enhanced_. Jaune didn't bother checking his stats- there was no time for it- but they were certainly higher than what they usually were.

Leroy was entirely focused on Blake, considering its first enemy defeat. Because of this, Jaune was able to easily re-equip his gear behind the Grimm. The first time he tried to touch Crocea Mors, however, it sparked white, pushing his hand away. Through the sparks he grabbed it a second time and held the sword with Gamer's Body. After only a few seconds, the white sparks spotted and the edge of the blade glowed black. Interesting, but neither the time nor place for thinking about it.

Just as Jaune was ready for battle once more, Leroy leaned its tail back in preparation to strike at Blake- who he had still yet to see since they started the fight. Taking advantage of the situation before him, Jaune chopped downwards with his glowing sword, cutting through the place where the stinger attached to the tail like butter.

A horrible hissing sounded from up front and his companion's voice responded.

"Jaune?!" Blake shouted, most likely in reference to his amazing feat of strength.

"Go for the eyes, Blake! I got things back here!" He ordered from where he was. The Deathstalker wasn't so big that they needed to yell to hear each other- rather, the flattering of the Grimm on the sidelines made this necessary.

They made quick work of Leroy soon after- perhaps not even a minute- and Jaune even managed to gain the final hit! Oh how the tables turn in the tide of battle.

 **You Leveled Up!  
** **All relevant modifiers have been applied.  
** **[OK]**

 **Skill Removed:  
** **[Death Brink]  
** **Reason:  
** **Prerequisites not achieved, Glitch  
** **[OK]**

"Glitch? What Glitch?" The Leader of Team JWLR asked himself. He couldn't remember any Glitch, he'd simply used one of his many skills to win the day. Weird.

"Get your head in the game, Jaune. It's not over yet." Blake rejoined him, gesturing to the ring of Grimm that had forced the fight in the first place.

"I wouldn't be so sure." To the member of Team PBNY's continued surprise, though, just as she said that, all the Grimm turned away and left. Apparently, they'd gotten what they'd came for- whatever that was.

"I- But… Why is it that after ten years of fighting Grimm and over a millennium of tradition to back it, I'm only _now_ questioning my war against them?" The girl posed the question at a loss. Her partner just shrugged.

"I don't know about you, but I kill them because they kill innocents. That won't change regardless of what I've seen today." He spoke his mind openly, and Blake gave him a thankful smile. Finally, he'd said _one_ sane thing today.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 0/200  
** **[OK]**

"Right. Now, let's head home."

* * *

Finally braking from the tree line to the open fields before Beacon Academy was a godsend, should such a thing exist. It was at that point when Blake's exhaustion broke past her ability to remain upright and strong, and she ended up leaning on his shoulder the rest of the way. Jaune was tired as well, but due to Gamer's Body, only in a mental way. Nearly dying does that to a person.

The first bench they saw- one of the ones scattered throughout the main entrance- they collapsed into. The view from the Emerald Forest was impossible to beat, but the view of the sunset from Beacon sure came close. Jaune and Blake sat together, subconsciously leaning on each other as they tried to process the day they'd just had. It might've been romantic if they weren't both about to pass out.

"…I can't believe you speak Grimm." The ninja actually started the conversation for once, making Jaune laugh.

"I don't _speak_ Grimm- I just interpret it." He joked, making her laugh and return. "Should we tell somebody about how the Grimm acted today? I mean, it seems pretty important- at least from a scientific standpoint."

"Well, I'm not writing any research papers anytime soon. I have more important things to worry about." She reasoned.

"You mean your superhero business?" He could feel her try to turn her head- most likely to glare at him- but the effort was beyond her and she gave up.

"Yeah, superhero business." Blake decided to just accept it.

"Yeah… Hey, weren't you saying something about that before? Something about a guy named 'Aaron?'"

" _Adam_." She correctly harshly before sighing into calm once more. "And yes, I was." Jaune waited a bit, but no more words came from her.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just know I'm here if you want someone to listen." The Team Leader offered. Almost imperceptible, Blake learned in a little closer.

"No. I want to tell you." They weren't looking at each other, but Jaune's face still hardened out of courtesy for the seriousness of her tone.

"…Adam was… Passionate. Ever since we were kids, he took to whatever it is he wanted to do with a fiery passion that rarely burned away. On top of that, he was smart. If he wanted something done, he would do it _right_. When we were ten years old, he decided he wanted to be a hero, protecting others with our actions. And with him being one of my only two friends, I joined in for the ride." She paused a moment, and Jaune could only image the smile of remembrance on her face.

"He's stronger than me- He always was, but ever since we were fifteen, he became _far_ out of my league. And around this time was when we joined the White Fang." The Faunus Rights activist stopped, mentally preparing herself. "My fa- People around me had always been apart of the organization, but I had never paid to much attention. There had never been any discrimination at my home, so why should I? Well, as I said, Adam wanted to join the White Fang, so… I really had no other choice. Not to say I didn't agree with their ideals- Back how they were, I certainly did- but Adam's passion and skill combined with the high reaching ideals of the White Fang? _That_ was dangerous." Blake shuddered, and Jaune used the hand on her shoulder to give her a comforting rub.

"He- He quickly rose through the ranks, faster than anyone else had before. The youngest General in the history of the organization. 'Adam was going places,' they would say. But… The protests and informational handouts weren't enough for him. Adam wanted things done the _right_ way, and with the way at which the world was progressing, something needed to change." The huntress finally uncurled herself from him, wrapping her arms around her own body and looking away from his direct.

"At first, I supported him like I always had. A- And a part of me still does! We _needed_ to do things differently, we _needed_ to take action! But… But Adam brought things to far. He killed his first man when we were sixteen, and from then on, it became much too easy… I even-" She choked a sob, unwilling to go any further. Jaune took her back into a hug, and she didn't protest.

"It's alright. You don't need to tell me anything more than you are comfortable with." Silence reigned king for a minute or two as neither made a sound. Suddenly, though, a thought came to the Team Leader's mind. "This Adam of your's… He wouldn't happen to be related to 'Adam Taurus,' would he?" Blake seperated and their eyes finally met.

"He _is_ Adam Taurus."

"Oh…"

"Why?"

"Well… I read this thing in the mayor's office which said something about him."

"What? What was it?!"

"It said he was coming to Vale." All the blood ran out of Blake's already pale face, shock setting in. Very quickly, however, that shock turned to a righteous resolve, similar to the face she put on with her black jacket.

"I'm going into Vale tomorrow to investigate." She stated as a matter of fact, as if it could never be changed. "Are you coming with me?"

"I'll be with you." Jaune responded without hesitation. The fact that they had classes tomorrow never even crossed his mind.

 **+2 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 2/200  
** **[OK]**

"Thank you." She replied in earnest. Their conversation lulled, and Jaune observed her for the mere purpose of seeing how she was holding up.

 **Name: Blake Belladonna  
** **LV: 40 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: The Silent Shadow  
** **Race: Advanced Faunus**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

HP: 4000/4000  
AP: 11250/11250  
 **[OK]**

"You're a faunus?" He said aloud, plenty of surprise laced in his voice.

Blake looked at him with a shocked expression… And then laughed her ass off.

 **+1 Bond with:  
** **Blake Belladonna  
** **Bond LV: 3/200  
** **[OK]**

* * *

 **Over nine thousand words long. This is quite possible the longest chapter I have ever posted. Fitting, as I made you wait a month to get this.**

 **Before anything else, I'd like to announce: I have another story.** _RWBY: Infinity War_ **is now posted on my profile. It's a RWBY/Avengers crossover. I recommend checking it out if you like either of those franchises or just enjoy my writing (if you some how didn't get enough with this beast of a chapter).**

 **Anyway,**

 **Do you remember when I said that I was fine with all reviews? Well, I'm afraid that isn't the case anymore. In fact, I had to delete one from my story just last chapter. No, it wasn't a very negative criticism, rather it was a blatant link to porn… yeah, I didn't realize this would even be an issue, but I suppose I'll have to say it. I don't care what your porn preference is, but don't post it on my story. That should really be common courtesy, but whatever. Just don't do it.**

 **With…** _ **That**_ **out of the way, I can once more talk about Jaune-Bashing. Recently, I've gotten some more criticism accusing me of Jaune bashing, but I still don't see it. If we're being honest here, nothing** _ **bad**_ **had happened to Jaune. Yeah, he's gotten into some fights with friends, but Jaune is completely fine. If I wanted to, I could just cut off both his arms! I am the author, after all. But I don't. And while yes, Jaune has experienced conflicts, without conflicts, there wouldn't be a story! So beyond the fact that a few bad things have happened to Jaune, like fighting with friends, I want to know how do I Bash Jaune? This is an open check, but I need specifics if you want me to fix the problem.**

 **Onto more specific reviews,**

 **A few weeks of hard training really means nothing to a few** _ **years**_ **of hard training. Frankly, I was worried that I was making Jaune too** _ **powerful**_ **in his fight with Weiss, not too weak. In reality, he really should have been smashed, but with all the factors I described in the chapter, I figured the sides would even out somewhat.**

 **I want to clarify from the last chapter, that DragonSlayer is not the confirmed pairing for this story. As I have said every time Jaune bonds with one of the females of the cast, this is just them getting closer, not falling in love. Such is the case with his talk with Blake in this chapter.**

 **In other news,**

 **Originally the Deathstalker fight was going to be longer, showcasing Jaune's planning skills (as is his stated purpose in the show) but I decided that it's been too long since we've had another glitch. This is a mystery after all- Gotta keep those clues coming.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	19. Fun with The Fang Part One

"How did you not know I was a faunus? I literally admitted to you that I was part of the White Fang." Blake criticized as they landed in Vale via Airship. Despite her harsh tone, Jaune noted the small smirk on her face, indicating her true feelings.

"How was I supposed to know that the White Fang was Faunus only?" Jaune attempted to defend his honor.

"Common sense?" The Faunus kindly suggested. "It _is_ a radical _race-based_ terrorist organization, you know."

"Yes, well…" The Team Leader sighed in defeat. "I wasn't really thinking about it too much."

Their walk through Vale was as peaceful and lovely as ever. The early morning sun hit the buildings just so, while a brisk breeze made the day comfortable for anyone in a sweatshirt or jacket- Which both Jaune and Blake were respectively. Once again, the Faunus had donned her 'superhero jacket' as Jaune liked to call it, the black trench coat that she had first worn to bust up a gang.

On this particular day, Jaune was unaware if they were planning to bust another gang, just as he was unaware of where they were heading as a whole. Regardless, Blake seemed to know where she was taking him, so he didn't see the need to ask.

"What kind of Faunus are you anyway? If you don't mind me asking." Jaune cautiously inquired. They stopped. The Faunus gave him a hard look- most likely determining his intentions- before she answered.

"Cat."

"Huh." The Leader wasn't sure how to respond to that information, despite the fact that he was the one who asked for it to begin with. "But you don't have any Faunus traits?" Blake gave him another look, one that made him feel completely stupid. "What?"

"Cat ears."

"Cat ears? I don't see any-"

"It's my _bow_ , Jaune." On command, her bow twitched. "I keep them hidden so I don't attract any unwanted attention."

"But if you keep them hidden, why are you getting annoyed at me for not noticing them?" Jaune rebutted. Blake's hard gaze softened with this.

"Touché." She shrugged and started walking again. Like always, a silence fell between the two of them. One that Jaune wasn't quite comfortable with. He tried to contain himself- He really did!- but he could only go so long before he had to blurt something out.

"Why did you freak out about Roman working with the White Fang?" The 'J' of Team JWLR blurted out.

"Roman?" Blake repeated when Jaune recognized his mistake.

" _Torchwick_. Roman _Torchwick_. I don't know him by a first name basis, obviously. Heh heh…"

"Right…" The Faunus looked at him for a few more seconds, but mercifully decided to move on. "Remember what I said about the White Fang being 'radical' and 'race-based?' Well, it wasn't always that way. Though Adam wouldn't ever admit it, when we first joined the organization, humans made up a sizable portion of members. Like you, there were plenty of humans who considered the Faunus their equals, plenty who cared enough to stand up for us. And then Adam rose to power… He saw their support as mocking. 'If we were equal, why did we need _their_ support while they could stand for themselves without _us_?' So, they were all driven out. That day, the White Fang brought all Faunus kind a step back from equality."

"So… Wouldn't it be a good thing that the White Fang was working with Torchwick? Then they'd be working with humans again." Jaune offered. Blake stopped walking suddenly, and the team leader nearly smashed into her.

"Jaune. I left the White Fang because I thought Adam had lost sight of equality, that he saw the Faunus as superior. And furthermore, I didn't think he had it in him to make a change for the better." The former Fang member didn't turn to look at him, but he could clearly picture the distraught look on her face. "If he started working with humans… I would have left the White Fang for _nothing_. I would have abandoned my closest and longest standing friend for _nothing_. I would have been _wrong_ about his ability to change. And what would the make me?"

The question had an uncomfortable, unspoken answer. Jaune tried to come up with a response, anything to make her feel better. But he had nothing to say, nothing that would make her feel better, at least. And by the time he mustered the ability to say anything at all, the moment had passed, and they were continuing on their way.

Being in the city and speaking of Torchwick, though, did remind him of something. Neo, the mystery girl alongside Roman, had given him a location to meet her once the police chase for her died down. It had only been two days since the town hall fiasco, but maybe it was worth taking a look at the location some point today, if only to scope it out for traps and such. However, he _was_ here to help Blake so-

"What happened to that Dust Shop?" She pointed, dragging him off course to investigate.

-Probably not.

The dust shop in question was currently taped off as a couple officers scoped the scene. The crime scene didn't look fresh, however, as the glass from the broken windows was presumably swept away while only a few key clues remained.

"What happened here?" Jaune casually asked one of the policemen.

"A dust robbery two nights ago. All the officers were occupied with Town Hall, so we weren't able to catch the perps. They also deleted all the security footage with the extra time they had. It was actually part of string of dust robberies all across Vale that night- Only dust, though. No money. Wait, why am I telling all this to you? Get lost kid." The cop's rambling ended and the Hunter was dismissed back to Blake.

"A string of dust robberies all on the same night as the Town Hall incident… That doesn't seem like a coincidence." Blake logicked fairly simply.

"Yeah. Sounds like a good place to start looking for the White Fang, considering their Town Hall involvement." Jaune reasoned next.

"Indeed. And perhaps they will be able to lead us to the true mastermind of the plot, Taurus, Torchwick, or otherwise." The well spoken Monkey Faunus finished. Wait. Monkey Faunus?

"Who the fuck are you?" Blake questioned in her very 'Blake' way.

"Oh right! How terribly rude of me not to introduce myself! Sun Wukong, P.I." The Faunus, Sun, introduced himself in perhaps the poshest way possible. The monkey faunus' voice and posture contrasted heavily with his current attire, being jeans, an open white jacket that showed off his toned abs, and messy hair. "Pardon the appearance, I had to go undercover to assure that I wasn't tracked to Vale from Vacuo, though I'm sure Taurus was expecting me regardless." With his last thought, Sun looked off towards the nearby docks, pondering.

"And what do you want with us?" Blake continues just as harshly. Sun remained unphased.

"I am currently investigating the White Fang and their terrorist activities here in Vale. I'm practically the arch-nemesis of Adam Taurus. You may have heard of me?"

"Not at all."

"Well that's alright, Blake Belladonna, because I've heard of _you_." Instantly, Blake went for her weapon as Jaune stepped between the two Faunus.

"She's not apart of that life anymore. She hasn't done anything wrong." Jaune spoke out for his companion, tempted to go for his own sword. He didn't even know how strong his opponent was, but the team leader wouldn't let the man threaten his pseudo-teammate.

 **Name: Sun Wukong  
** **[OK]**

Well- Heh. He would stand in between, but if it actually came to blows, there really wasn't much he could do against this enemy, being over eighty eight levels strong and all.

"Oh, I know." Sun assured, raising his hands in surrender. "As I said, I know all about her. I know she joined when she was fifteen at Adam Taurus' request, I know she was a supporter of humans being apart of the White Fang, and I know that she left Taurus, only a few months ago due to the rising violence specifically against humans." Blake, for her part, didn't call on her weapon to this comment, though she didn't back down either. The monkey Faunus turned from Jaune to look the car Faunus directly in the eyes. "I'm not going to turn you in because I know you didn't do anything wrong. As for what I want from you, well it's as I said. I'm looking for Taurus in Vale. What better way to find him then through his right hand woman?" Blake turned away.

"If you know that I left the Fang, why would you think that I know where he is?" She questioned, referring to her previous partner.

"I don't. But I overheard that you two were seeking the White Fang, so I figured our paths interweaved. With my detective ability- and access to crime scenes- and your personal knowledge of Taurus, we may make a good team." He offered, then he turned to Jaune. "And you can tag along as well, of course."

"Oh thanks." The Team Leader noted sarcastically.

"Fine." Blake decided, ignoring the comment. "I'll work with you. But just so we're clear, _I'm_ in change."

"Of course." Sun gave a charming smile.

 **Line**

"This clearly leads to the Low Docks!" Blake insisted.

"It is _used_ in the docks, but we have a much better chance of finding the cog in Vale's industrial district. Where it is _made_." Sun countered. "If you consider the chances a Fang member picked up this particular piece at the docks compared to in the factories, you find that I am correct."

"Fine! You go to the factories, and I'll investigate the docks." The cat Faunus attempted to compromise, despite her attacking tone.

"Not without any clearance you're not. This cog is primarily used at the Low Docks, _private_ docks. And considering that I am the only one here with any clearance at all, we'll be going to the industrial district." The posh, poorly dressed detective ordered. "Unless, of course, you plan on breaking and entering. In which case, you would be admitting that to a person with the authority to do something about that."

"I could take you, easy." Blake claimed.

"Are you so sure about that?" Sun retorted. Maybe Blake was, but Jaune definitely wasn't.

"Alright, alright. We'll go to the industrial district. Just cool it with the threats." Jaune finally stepped in.

Ever since they started investigating the dust shop crime scene, the two Faunus has been at each other's throats. Despite Sun's cries for cooperation and acknowledgement of leadership, he seemed unwilling to truly give up any power in the hunt. When Blake had found the rusty- but not dusty- cog discarded underneath a shelf and made a determination as to its origin, Sun instant grabbed the piece away to make his own determination. One that was distinctly different from Blake's.

Jaune had to wonder why Sun wanted them to come along at all…

The detective walked out of the shop, leaving the Beacon students to themselves. And the police officers, but they really didn't seem to care about what was going on.

"Thanks for having my back, _Jaune_." Blake sneered, still angry from the confrontation. Before she went outside to join her fellow Faunus, the Team Leader grabbed her hand.

"Blake. That man is much stronger than you, stronger than both of us combined. Trust me on that." The 'J' of Team JWLR gave his excuse seriously.

"And how would you know?"

"I- Uh- It's my semblance." He fumbled out. Technically not a lie, but far from the full truth. How many times had he used that excuse by now? Blake scoffed.

"It's _always_ your semblance. What _isn't_ your semblance?" And with that, she walked out. At the very least, their bond didn't go down. One step forward, two steps back. Would he ever do right by her?

Only time could tell.

* * *

Around half of the Valean Industrial District was abandoned after the War. The government no longer needed to mass produce weapons and ammunition, so they auctioned off the majority of the factories to private companies who converted them for their own use. Of course, a few went bankrupt- as companies tended to do sometimes- and that left abandoned buildings perfect for criminal needs.

A quarter of these crime houses were actually legally bought and owned by the criminals who used them- under fake aliases, obviously. After all, what better place to hide illegal substances than in completely legal places? The cops hardly ever came around the industrial district anymore anyway, so unless they were planning a targeted raid, all the shady stuff would be safe and secure.

As for the rest, well… Empty space was free space.

Finding the specific factory that used to make the specific cog they found in the dust shop was fairly easy- or, well, it was easy for Sun. Blake and Jaune just got to bask in his detective genius in the meantime. It… Wasn't much to bask in, though Sun himself seemed to think differently.

"There it is." Sun whispered, looking around the corner to the factory-turned-hideout. "It seems occupied, so that's a good sign we went in the right direction." Blake bristled, but the Monkey Faunus hardly noticed.

"So what now?" Jaune inquired for their plan of attack.

" _Now_ , I knock on the door." Sun straightened himself with a charming smile.

"Why would we possibly do something as stupid as that?" Blake criticized.

"Not ' _we_ ,' ' _I_ ' knock on the door. _You_ shall enter from the roof and gain a vantage point. If this is really the White Fang, we'll act accordingly. If not, we don't want to get involved in a gang war."

"Says you…" The cat Faunus muttered under her breath.

"And what about me?" Jaune brought the attention back to himself, making the detective blink in surprise.

"Oh right. Uh, you can… See if there's a back entrance! Alright now let's not waste anymore time." The posh speaker called out before the hunter could respond, heading towards the factory. Blake- with her current feelings towards him- followed suit.

"Whatever. I'm sure I'll get involved somehow." Jaune reassured himself.

As always, he was wrong.

Back during the war, regulations on buildings were extremely lax. That was the reason why the factories didn't have any windows. It was much easier to erect a solid wall of bricks than take the time to plan out and install glass into them. That was also why there was absolutely no back entrance! Meaning that by the time Jaune got back around the factory to enter after Sun, the fighting had already ended.

Dozens of White Fang grunts were on the ground, unconscious, while one was currently being choked out by Blake. Sun was nowhere to be seen, perhaps checking one of the side rooms.

"Where is Adam Taurus?!" The Fauns-Activist interrogated the Faunus-Terrorist.

"Ack! I- Guh- Don't- Know!" The grunt responded to the best of his ability.

"Bullshit!" She instantly called, but moved on to another line of questioning regardless. "Where were you going to attack next?!"

"I don't-!" Blake squeezed tighter. "Gck! The docks-!" Releasing the man from her iron hold, the cat faunus spun the man around to look at him directly in the eyes, having a hold, of his shirt.

"Why?"

"There's going to be a shipment of Dust there tonight, we were going to steal it all!" The grunt explained, cowering at her brutal stare.

"Why do you need so much dust though? What are planning to do with it all?"

"I don't know! Please let me go!" The huntress-in-training scoffed at his words, smacking him on the head with her weapon and knocking him out cold.

"Useless- Oh." Blake commented before finally noting Jaune's presence. "I just- I needed to…" She attempted to explain her actions to her fellow student, but ultimately fell short and turned away. Wait… Was she… Trying to explain herself? Did this mean that she cared about what he thought?

"Right." Jaune replied to her unfinished explanation, hopefully validating her.

"We know where we're heading next!" Sun declared happily as he joined the pair from the side rooms Jaune had guessed him to be.

"Yeah, to where I said to go the _first_ time." Blake taunted, though the monkey Faunus looked to her strangely.

"You didn't say to go to the mask store the first time." Sun furrowed his brow. "You said we should head to the docks."

"As we _should_. The fuck do you mean, 'the mask store?'"

"'Blueder's Mask Store,' more specifically. I found the records in the office. That store provided this group of Fang members their masks. We should head there next to follow the lead."

"I _literally_ just got a grunt to confess that they were planning to attack the docks next. We need to go there!"

"Yes… That's quite interesting and all, but have you considered that perhaps he was lying to get you to release him? In all my time as a detective, I have found more often than not, criminals make up what they say under interrogation." Sun then gave her a look that could only be described as 'temptation.' "We shall head to the mask shop after I call the police to take these men away, or… Do you plan on breaking into the Low Docks yourself? If that's so… Well, it'll be my duty to step in."

Snarling at the threat, Blake had taken enough verbal abuse. The Car Faunus stepped forward and was about to redraw her weapon when she was suddenly stopped short. Jaune, too, had advanced forward and grabbed her wrist before it was too late.

" _Don't_." He urged. The 'B' of Team PBNY glared and ripped her hand away, but didn't go back for her blade. Throughout the whole exchange, Sun had stood there, an unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

The smog of the Industrial District was replaced by the bustle of the Commercial District, though the group wasn't speaking to one another. Jaune, for his part, wasn't too surprised at Blake's reactions towards him today. Like nearly everyone in Beacon, Blake Belladonna was touchy. If he wasn't on his best behavior at all times, she would be upset with him- and even if he was, there was still a chance she was be upset. At this point, though- after dealing with Weiss, Ruby, Yang, and more- Jaune felt he could call himself a professional in this matter. He could be patient, he could weather the storm, and he could be there for her when she needed him most.

He had to be. After all, these were his friends- perhaps the only friends he'd ever had. And while they might've been on and off towards him like a light switch, Jaune treasured the connections he had made during his stay at Beacon. There was just something about everyone that felt familiar to him- or rather… Intimate.

This strange pull aside, Blueder's Mask Store was found easily enough from the address acquired from the White Fang hideout. Unsurprisingly, the _mask_ store wasn't very packed with customers when they arrived. In fact, from the outside it seemed that _no one_ was in the store, not even a cashier. Despite this, the sign said 'open,' so they walked inside.

As soon as the door jingled open, a clatter was heard from the back of the shop and a Faunus with small horns came running to the front.

"W- Welcome! I wasn't expecting you all." The man, presumably Blueder, admitted.

"You weren't expecting us… To walk into a shop?" Jaune questioned his logic.

"Uh… Anyway! What can I do for you?" Blueder deflected.

"We're looking for masks." Sun confessed, falsely perusing the selection on display.

"Well, you came to the right-"

"A specific type of mask, actually." Sun continued. "You wouldn't happen to have the White Fang mask, would you?"

"Oh sure I d- Don't! Sure I _don't_. I don't consort with terrorists of any kind here!" Blueder started to shout. "And for even suggesting such a thing, I want you out of my store right-"

"Yo. Blueder!" Another voice from the back cut the shopkeep off. "Are we doing this White Fang meeting or what?" Blueder, on his part, seemed sufficiently embarrassed by the turn of events.

"Yeah, we got White Fang masks…" He finally admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Do you want three or-" The idiocy was cut by Blake, walking up to the counter and violently smashing her fist into the Faunus' face. Blueder went out like a light.

The Huntress said nothing and instead stepped behind the counter. Jaune and Sun followed suit.

There were only two room in the back of the store. One housed some extra boxes-most likely filled with masks- and a safe, while the other held a meeting room. Four people sat at a round table while another flipped through the notes of his presentation on the display screen.

Surprisingly, Blake didn't even try to maintain the art of stealth as she walked into the second room. Rather, she open strode in and took the seat presumably reserved for Blueder.

"Who are you guys?!" One of the seated people shouted. The woman had blonde hair and a scar over her left eye- Not that it was important. Jaune just noticed it when he Observed her.

 **Name: Isabell Sada  
** **LV: 10 EXP: NULL  
** **Title: White Fang Grunt  
** **Race: Faunus**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-  
** **HP: 1000/1000**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-  
** **STR: 26  
** **DEX: 18  
** **INT: 13  
** **WIS: 14  
** **END: 38  
** **CHA: 4  
** **LCK: 1**

Wow, these guys were pushovers. She was slightly stronger than the grunts he faced at Town Hall, but he felt no more threatened by her than by them.

"We're here for the White Fang meeting, obviously." The former White Fang member told with a completely straight face, gesturing to her twitching bow.

"Where's Blueder?" The standing man asked, disbelief in his voice.

"He's dealing with some customers right now. Why don't you say what you need to say and we'll inform him later?" Blake once again lied like she was a professional.

"Uh… Alright." The man gave in. "There are some extra chairs in the corner there, if you'd like to sit down." He gestured to the men standing behind Blake, who looked at each other and shrugged. They each pulled up a chair and the standing man dimmed the lights slightly.

"So," He put his notes down and picked up a remote. "Let's begin." The Faunus clicked the remote and the first slide on the presentation star-wiped onto the screen.

 **The White Fang's Plan  
** **By Jeremy Kalo**

"A disclaimer before we start," Jeremy added. "This is my very first time presenting the plan, so I apologize if something isn't up to standard." The room- including Blake- initiated a light clap that made Jeremy blush. "Thank you, thank you. Now," One click, star-wipe.

 **The Goal:  
** **Get Dust**

"The Goal." Jeremy took a deep breath. "As I'm sure you all know, recently the White Fang has had a shift in orientation. Whereas a few months ago we were trying to dominate humanity for the crimes they committed against our people:"

He clicked and gestured to the display. A crude drawing of a stick figure with a tail and big muscles was pictured standing victoriously above another, much weaker looking stick figure. The figures were labeled 'Faunus' and 'Human' respectively.

"We now want to…:"

Over the first image, a generic picture of a dust vial was set in the place of the human stick figure.

"Collect all the dust there is. To be honest, I don't know _why_ we're collecting all the dust we can get our hands on, but… Adam Taurus told us to, so I'm sure he has a good reason. But moving on,"

 **The Plan So Far**

"The plan so far has been to steal dust from dust stores, and that's been going well overall. I'm sure we've all robbed a dust store at this point by now, so you know the general process. Get in, get the dust, get out. Just a couple days ago, we had our biggest haul yet with the Town Hall distraction." Pause for brief applause. "Yes. But- aside from the possibility of capture- does anyone here know the main flaw of robbing dust stores?" The room was silent. "Anyone?"

"The possibility of bystanders getting in the way?" Jaune guessed at Jeremy's question.

"Well yes, but actually no. The main flaw is…:"

 **It's Too Inefficient**

"It's too inefficient! We have to rob them at night, under the cover of darkness, but nearly all dust stores get resupplied in the morning. That's over half a day's worth of dust sold before we ever arrive! Not to mention, some private buyers buy directly from the suppliers themselves, so that's even more dust out of our hands!" Jeremy was starting to get pumped, and his enthusiasm was affecting the others as well. "What do we do about this?"

 **Go For The Boat**

"Go for the boat! That's right ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, we'll be taking the fight to the suppliers themselves. We're raiding the Schnee Low Docks for dust the _second_ it's loaded off the boat! Now who's hype?"

"I told you!" Blake interrupted the excitement with a poignant look at Sun. "I _told_ you to go to the Docks each time, but noo! _You_ had to be the one in charge. Tell me, how does it feel to be wrong?" Sun, in response, looked right past her.

"My hunch has been confirmed. We needed to go to the docks the whole time. Blake, Jaune. There's no time to waste. We need to deal with the Fang here and head to the docks immediately."

"I hate you." Was all Blake had to say.

"What do you mean, 'deal with us?'" Jeremy asked.

* * *

Needless to say, it was a massacre. Blake and Sun dealt with the majority of the White Fang members in record time, yet Jaune still managed to sneak a takedown in there as well. All in all, the skirmish ended in about five seconds. And after Sun informed the police of the shop, the team was on its way to the docks.

The boat arrived only thirty minutes after noon. The unloading process was done at exactly one o'clock. Currently, it was… Seven thirty at night! So much for 'the _second_ it's loaded off.' Jaune was here to help Blake, but sitting on a roof for six and a half hours, staring at a completely motionless dock, really killed the mood.

"Perhaps your 'dock theory' wasn't promising after all." Sun finally commented at Blake.

"Oh? So now it's _my_ 'dock theory?' What happened to your hunch at the mask shop, huh?" The huntress shot back with vitriol.

"I don't know what you're talking about. All I've done is follow the clues. But since you were so insistent, I figured we could take stop here. If only to prove you wrong." The cat faunus finally stood from her ever watchful position on the roof and put her hand on her weapon. Jaune got up right after her, in case he needed to step in.

"If you don't shut the fuck up right now, I'm gonna-" Blake's threat was cut prematurely by a sudden whooshing noise that filled the night's empty air.

Four bullheads landed and offloaded their troops. Countless numbers of White Fang grunts stormed the docks, but one stood out among the rest.

"Adam…" The former White Fang member nearly whispered, making Jaune shiver in a mix of fear and anticipation.

"I knew it!" Sun claimed the success to himself, but Blake was too distracted to react. Rather, almost like she was in a trance, the cat faunus walked to the edge of the roof towards her former partner-

And jumped off. Right into the heart of the action.

"Not again!" Jaune lamented as he dutifully leaped in after her.

* * *

 **I'm back! It really has been too long. Unfortunately I had to come back with a shorter than usual, filler chapter, but hopefully the next chapter will bring me back swinging. Just to get this out to all of you as soon as possible, I will be answering all the reviews from the last chapter in the next one, so,**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


	20. Fun with The Fang Part Two

He fell on the dock with a not-so-soft landing as Blake was already off making herself known to the enemy.

"Adam!" The Faunus huntress shouted as a war cry, though she had yet to draw her weapon. The White Fang grunts had all noticed her by this point and armed themselves, but the Adam in question did not stop giving out orders. In fact, the bull Faunus did not acknowledge Blake in the slightest. He wore the same Grimm mask as the rest of his brethren, but the rest of his attire made him stand out like a sore thumb.

"Adam, look at me!" His former partner repeated, getting ever closer. Oddly enough, the majority of the White Fang grunts focused back on loading the dust into the bullheads, heeding Adam's orders and disregarding the disturbance.

"Blake, wait-!" Jaune called after his friend whose quick step put her far ahead his range of help. His cry was cut off by a soft landing just next to him, followed by a rush of wind as the unidentified shadow moved with speeds rivaling even Ruby.

When Blake was only about ten feet away from Adam, the blur of a person fell between them. In the blink of an eye, the White Fang Leader unsheathed his weapon and slashed out with a red glow- even from Jaune's fair distance, he could feel the power placed in the strike. But the shadow did not waver, instead glowing golden and splitting into three separate beings, each armed with a staff. In unison, the three golden beings struck the red wave with their weapons, evaporating the strike into the ether. When the dust settled, two warriors stood face to face.

"Sun Wukong," Adam Taurus noted with something akin to fondness in his voice. "I thought I left you behind in Vacuo." Sun scoffed.

"Don't lie to me, Taurus. You knew I would be here today. In fact, you _wanted_ me to be here. Why else would you make your plan of attack so obvious to the world?" The terrorist smirked, his bluff caught.

"You found my little mystery _that_ easy? You wound me. Regardless, I _did_ want you here today… So I could finish you off _for good_."

"We'll-"

"What the hell is happening here?" Blake cut into Sun's response. "Adam. It's _me_. _Blake Belladonna_. Why are you ignoring me?" Adam suddenly lost his smirk and donned a look of boredom.

"Tyrian, deal with the extras. _I_ have a reunion to get to." He ordered, and a new Faunus walked out from one of the Bullheads they arrived in.

"As you wish." A scorpion Faunus with straightened black hair nodded. His weapon of choice was a pair of blades mounted on each wrist- Pretty impractical, if Jaune had anything to say about it.

Sun and Adam clashed together in a whirlwind of fury, intently focusing on themselves while blocking out the world. Blake didn't seem too happy about this prospect, jumping towards the epic battle, but Tyrian wasn't having any of that as he grabbed her leg in midair and threw the cat Faunus backwards. Not once did he lose his composure.

It was time for Jaune to get in there. White Fang grunts worked like bees to deliver all the stolen dust to the Bullheads, but the team leader ignored them for the real target at hand.

 **Name: Tyrian Callows**

Well crap. Once again the leader of Team JWLR would be tasked with the unenviable work of making sure Blake didn't kill herself while fighting a far superior enemy. Twice in one day, no less! As Blake picked herself up, Jaune joined her with his own unsheathed blade.

"Alright, we have a very strong enemy before us so we should come up with a-" He started, but was cut off by Tyrian, who was waiting patiently between them and Sun's fight.

"And what are _you_ doing here?" The man asked, causing Jaune's eyebrow to raise. Of course, Blake took this to mean Tyrian was distracted and launched herself at him with a number of blows. But the scorpion Faunus blocked each strike with ease, all while maintaining eye contact with Jaune.

"You know me?" Could this guy be the question mark person in his bonds menu? It seemed unlikely, but stranger things had happened. He edged forward with his weapons out regardless.

"Well that's the problem," Callows admitted, stopping to flip backwards from a particularly deadly slash from Blake. "I _don't_ know you. I know why Mr. Taurus and Mr. Wukong are here, and I even know why Ms. Belladonna is here. But why are _you_ here?"

"I'm J-"

"No, I don't want your name." The White Fang Faunus cut in. "I really don't care and I'd just forget it anyway. Now, can you talk while fighting or are you just going to stand there?" Jaune really didn't think he could, but there wasn't much of a choice here. The more time the man talked, the more time he wasn't killing the two hunters in training. And so, Jaune advanced.

"I'm here for Blake." The Team Leader declared on a downward strike in time with said Faunus. Tyrian caught each strike with his wrists.

"So you're Ms. Belladonna's latest 'boy-toy' after Mr. Taurus?" Jaune went to speak with another attack, but Blake beat him to it.

"It was never like that between Adam and I." The 'B' of Team PBNY explained while fighting. "We were childhood friends- Nothing more."

"Much to Mr. Taurus' chagrin, I'm sure." Tyrian finally put a small smile on his stoic face- one that _the_ Blake Belladonna actually shared!

"He asked me out a couple of times- But then again, so did Illia." Was Blake actually engaging in conversation with the enemy? Jaune wouldn't have guessed it in a million years, yet here he was, witnessing it with his own eyes. Did she understand the tactical significance of keeping Tyrian Callows talking, or was she actually invested in the conversation? Regardless, Tyrian snorted in amusement, pirouetting to redirect the attack of the hunters on each other.

"In any case, back to the matter at hand." The scorpion Faunus turned to Jaune even as Blake made a sudden assault, blocking every strike without even looking.

"Uh, no. I'm not Blake's 'boy-toy.'" Jaune didn't think he'd ever have to speak that sentence aloud, but his life was full of surprises.

"Ah, but you seek her favor which is why you're helping her today." Callows connected the imaginary dots. Once more, Blake responded to the accusation before he could.

"No, he's dating Weiss. At first, she hated him, but then they did some kinky stuff in the forest and they're together now." The cat Faunus inaccurately reported.

"'Kinky stuff in the forest?' Now _that's_ some juicy gossip." Tyrian laughed. "And now he's here to court you- What a player!" Blake probably had some reaction to that comment, but Jaune didn't notice. At this point, he was just getting annoyed.

"No. That is _not_ what happened. Yes, I settled my differences with Weiss in the forest. But there was _no_ 'kinky stuff' and we are _not_ dating. I'm not here to 'court' Blake either. I'm here because she's my _friend_. And friends stick together even in dangerous situations." Jaune asserted with a powerful swing of Crocea Mors. The sword connected with the wrist blade, but stopped dead in its tracks. Instead of pushing him away as usual, Tyrian merely gave Jaune an unsettling stare.

"No… There's no such thing as a 'friend.'" In a few short seconds, both himself and Blake were flung back from the scorpion Faunus. Looking towards the terrorist, instead of his straight posture, Tyrian was now hunched down, giving off a much more animalistic look. "There's only those strong enough to take, and those stupid enough to give!"

"So much for talking." Jaune commented. Blake just gave him a glare.

"What's the pl-" Presumably, the former White Fang member was looking to go on the offensive, but their opponent quickly took that idea off the table when he smashed into Blake. She was only just able to bring up her sword to block his right wrist blade, but the left one made it passed the defenses and nailed her in the stomach. Aura took the brunt of the blow, but Belladonna was no less staggered by it.

And of course, Jaune Arc rushed in to help.

Facing Tyrian's side, Jaune found himself at the perfect angle to block with his shield while coming in from the right to hit the faunus in the back. Tyrian made no move to counter the strike until his previously inconspicuous tail raised itself to meet Crocea Mors. As it turns out, the terrorist's tail was not a natural one, but rather a metal, robotic one- More than capable of parrying sword strikes. The tail worked its magic, and Jaune barey ducked in time to avoid the stinger piercing his throat.

Back up front, Jaune had stalled Tyrian long enough to allow Blake back on her feet. The cat faunus was more than happy to return the favor, unloading an entire magazine from Gambol Shroud that succeeded in slowing the scorpion faunus down when he made another strike at Jaune. With Blake in the front and Jaune in the back, the team leader was vaguely reminded of their time fighting a Death Stalker just the day before. And when he remembered _that_ , he also remembered not to take his eyes off of that damn stinger.

Feigning retreat, Jaune took a step back and left himself a little _too_ open. As predicted, though, the tail went for it, extending farther than usual to pierce Jaune. Because of this, the 'J' of Team JWLR had ample time to dodge to the side and grab the stinger-

"Don't touch my gift!" Tyrian screeched, retching the tail out of Jaune's grasp the moment it was touched and turning to smash his left wrist blade into Jaune's head as his tail acted to block Blake's strike.

While not dead or unconscious, Jaune fell to the ground like a rock, and Tyrian wasted no time jumping upon him, blade to throat. Blake, Jaune, and everything froze as the scorpion faunus had suddenly gained complete control over the situation.

"That upgrade was a gift, given by someone _very_ special to me. And for touching it, I require an _apology_." The White Fang member spoke with barely a whisper.

"I'm-"

"Ah ah!" Callows warned, pressing the wrist blade closer to Jaune's throat. "Not _that_ kind of apology. Now, who will it be? Your life… or her's?" The tension was palpable, but before anyone could speak another word, and outside voice sounded.

"Tyrian, the Bullheads are loaded. It's time to go." Adam Taurus announced to a motionless killer faunus. " _Tyrian_!" The leader of the White Fang called in a warning tone. This time, the faunus in question moved, picking himself off Jaune and walking backwards to the Bullheads. To Jaune's surprise, Blake came to help him up before making any attempt to pursue.

"I _will_ have my apology, Ms. Belladonna's boy-toy. I _will_." Tyrian vowed as he stepped on to the second to last Bullhead still on the docks. Right on queue, the doors closed and the flying vehicle took off into the night sky.

"Hope I never see that guy again…" Blake mumbled, making Jaune know- deep inside- he _would_ be seeing that guy again.

"Well, Wukong. Here is where I bid you farewell. I hate to cut our battle short, but my work here is done." Adam Taurus announced, hopping on his own Bullhead.

"Of course." Sun agreed. "Until our next meeting."

"Why are you just standing there? Don't let him get away! Shoot out the Bullhead's engines or something!" Blake jeered across the way- Though Jaune noted, _she_ , herself, wasn't currently making any attempts after Adam.

"Blake." Her childhood companion finally acknowledged her existence, just as the Bullhead began take off.

"Oh you son of a bitch! Get back here!" The former White Fang member shouted, finally leaving Jaune's side to chase after the fleeing vehicle fruitlessly.

* * *

 **For Completing Volume One, You Leveled Up!  
** **[OK]**

Jaune wasn't sure what 'Volume One' was, but he'd take the level up regardless. How was he looking now, anyway?

 **Name: Jaune Arc  
** **LV: 10 EXP: 135/2000  
** **Title: [The New Student]  
** **Race: [Basic Human]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Health-**

 **HP: 1000/1000 (+48 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)  
** **AP: 5000/5000 (+48 AP Every Ten Seconds)  
** **MP: 500/500 (+24 MP Every Ten Seconds)**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Stats-**

 **STR: 37  
** **DEX: 24  
** **INT: 25 (23+1+1)  
** **WIS: 24  
** **END: 36 (37-1)  
** **CHA: 22 (19+3)  
** **LCK: 16 (12+4)  
** **Current Modifiers: Title, Race  
** **SP: 31**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Equipment-**

 **Right Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]  
** **Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]  
** **Accessories: [None]**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Money-**

 **Lien: 1089  
** **Other Currency: 0**

 **/-\/-\/-\**

 **-Bonds-**

 **[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 17/200- Considers you a good friend  
** **[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 10/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend  
** **[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: 5/200- Considers you… A friend?  
** **[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 15/200- Sees potential in you  
** **[Lie Ren] Bond LV: -47/200- Will not hesitate to kill you  
** **[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 3/200- Perhaps you could be redeemed… Maybe  
** **[Glynda Goodwitch] Bond LV: 6/200- You are a** _ **very**_ **interesting student  
** **[Velvet Scarlatina] Bond LV: 1/200- Sees you as a fellow member of the cause  
** **[Coco Adel] Bond LV: 2/200- Eh. Whatever  
** **[Cardin Winchester] Bond LV: 50/200- The greatest friend ever  
** **[Penny Polendina] Bond LV: 2/200- Sees you as a fellow member of the agency  
** **[Roman Torchwick] Bond LV: 2/200- Sees you as the son he- probably- never had, kinda, not really  
** **[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you**

Not too shabby. Once he applied some of those skill points, he'd really start to see that improvement. Not that he hadn't already. Considering he started at five in just about every stat other than Luck, well… He certainly wasn't the Jaune that first came to Beacon on that Airship alright.

"So, I talked with the police and you two are free to leave." Sun interrupted his thoughts. "But before you do, I'd like to apologize for my actions today."

"What do you mean?" Blake narrowed her eyes. Sun just scoffed.

"Oh please. Don't play coy with me. You of all people know what I am talking about. Pretending not to know where the White Fang raid would be taking place while taking credit for any discovery you made while we investigated, I was acting like a- pardon my language- a real _bastard_. I'd like to apologize for that and make it clear that my actions today were merely for show and do not reflect my actual personality." Jaune highly doubted that, but Blake continued the questioning.

"So why were you being a bastard?"

"Why, to get under your skin, of course." Sun admitted, making Blake twitch. "While I knew you had left the White Fang, I couldn't be sure whether you _actually_ left or whether you were just pretending so to sneak into Beacon for whatever nefarious mission you might have. Only by irritating you while leading you away from the true sight of the raid could I ascertain your true feelings and determine if you actually wanted to stop the White Fang. Luckily for both of us, you did, and everything worked out in the end."

"And if I didn't?"

"Oh, in that case, I would have taken you hostage to ensure that Adam made his appearance at the docks." At her dirty look, the detective felt the need to defend himself. "That _didn't_ happen, so what does it even matter? Good day to you both." And with that Sun Wukong walked away. After a moment of stunned silence, Blake turned to Jaune.

"Jaune…" He gave her his full attention. "I wanted to say… You were right." Blake spoke the magical words and Jaune's eyebrows launched upwards.

"About what?" He couldn't help but inquire.

"About Sun. You told me he was stronger and tried to stop me from getting hurt, but I didn't listen and was… Well, I was a real bitch about it." The cat Faunus rubbed the back of her head and looked over Jaune's right shoulder, clearly summoning the courage for what she was going to say next. "When I saw Sun fight Adam, I knew that you were right all along, but I still tried to intervene because- you know- _Adam_. A- Anyways, What I'm trying to say here is… I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

Silence reigned for what seemed like endless moments, but eventually, the leader of Team JWLR gained the right words to speak.

"Words aren't enough, Blake." Jaune said, his tone admitting no emotion. The former White Fang member's Head snapped back to him before lowering in shame. If she could do it to him, he could do it to her. "If you want to prove you're sorry, you're gonna have to prove it."

"Right, yes. What do I need to do?"

"You need to trust me." Blake did a double take at the simple words.

"Trust you? That's it?" The shock in her voice made Jaune smile.

"Well… Me, and the rest of our teammates that is. The next time you plan on doing something about the White Fang- Because I _know_ there will be a next time with you- You need to tell us so we can help. Trust us, and I'll know you truly meant your apology." He explained.

 **Secret Quest Complete:  
** **Beauty in the Shadows**

 **Objective One Completed: Help Blake Belladonna survive her encounter with the White Fang.  
** **Optional Objective Completed: Solidify your friendship with Blake Belladonna.**

 **Failure Avoided: Death, Blake Belladonna's Death.**

 **Reward: +10 Bond with Blake Belladonna, +1 Bond with all other members of Teams JWLR and PBNY, +2 STR, +4 WIS, +4 CHA.  
** **Bonus: +1 True Bond with Blake Belladonna**

 **[OK]**

"I will. I promise." The cat Faunus assures with a smile. They shared in a moment of comfortable silence before Blake made a move. "We should probably head back to Beacon now."

"Yeah. Oh! One more thing, actually." Jaune drew her attention.

"What is it?"

"Back when we were fighting Tyrian. How come you were so comfortable talking with him? I've never seen you talk so openly with anyone else before."

"Oh, that? Well, he was a Faunus, and an honest one. I knew outright that he was a criminal, so I had no preconceptions- Unlike Sun, who was an asshole. I've always been more open with other Faunus, so you haven't seen me talk that way before because you haven't seen me talk with many Faunus before." At Blake's explanation, Jaune nodded.

"That makes sense. I guess you were pretty open with Tukson that one time." He realized. They went back on their way towards Beacon when Jaune stopped only a second later. "Wait, so if he wasn't a Faunus, you wouldn't have been as comfortable talking to him."

"No, probably not."

"But… Isn't that racist?" Blake jumped at the word.

" _Racist_? How am _I_ racist?!"

"Well, you said you said you were open with him because he was an honest Faunus- not an asshole Faunus- but you also said you _wouldn't_ have been open with him if he was a human. But even if he was human, he'd still be honest, so that means that his honest isn't the defining reason you were open with him, but rather his 'Faunus-ness' that made you open with him."

"And…?"

"Well, I get that you're a Faunus, so that lets you more easily relate to other Faunus. But if you want to be a paragon of equality and all that, shouldn't you treat all people the same, regardless of your personal biases. I mean, you basically just said that you would treat Tyrian different based on his physical features instead of the content of his character, and isn't that- like- the _definition_ of racism?"

Blake opened her mouth once, closed it, opened it once more, then closed it again. Finally, she opened her mouth a third time and spoke.

"Oh shit, I'm racist."

* * *

 **One Blake problem solved and another one arises.**

 **So, I'm back from the dead once again. This chapter was way too short and took far too long, but I did what I could. I won't go into any explanations or excuses because they don't matter. Though this is the end of Volume One, I won't be taking any hiatus to plan out Volume Two, since its been planned out for a while now. Still can't promise the next chapter will come any faster than this one, but I'll try my best.**

 **Now the reviews.**

 **The reason why Jaune asked Blake why the White Fang working with Roman Torchwick is so bad is because to him, they're all criminals. Unlike Blake, Jaune doesn't see a difference in Roman working with Junior's Gang or Roman working with the White Fang. It's all bad guys to him.**

 **Unlike what many claim- that Jaune is completely bashed in this fic- Jaune** _is_ **playing catch up. I try to show this off as much as I can without breaking into ridiculous territory, but Jaune can certainly punch above his own weight. In this chapter, you can see that claim unfold with the fact that he was even able to touch Tyrian's tail, a feat that the normal Jaune wouldn't even dream of accomplishing. It may not seem so because all the other characters are twice as strong, but Jaune is actually stronger than his cannon counterpart right now.**

 **So Sun's a thing. He's a big change, I know, but as I've always said, these characters aren't the ones we see in the show. They have different lives and different histories- Which is why Sun is now a detective on par with Adam Taurus.**

 **Yeah, I understand that the whole 'B' of Team PBNY thing can be a bit jarring. While I use it this chapter, I also tried to refer to the characters by just their last names as a substitute. Tell me what you think of that and perhaps I'll start describing the characters that way instead.**

 **As I've said before, the histories in this story and the actual show are different. The White Fang is different. Maybe in the show Blake left because of the train, but this isn't the show.**

 **Thank you all for your patience. I really hope to get the next chapter out to you soon, but RWBY: Infinity War comes first, and I haven't even started that yet.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-RMV**


End file.
